Romania's Competition Council to finalize investigation on timber market this year

Romania’s Competition Council will finalize a wide investigation on possible rigged auctions on the timber market set up by Egger Romania and Holzindustrie Schweighofer, according to the institution’s general manager Daniela Badila. “We are talking about tens of auctions possibly rigged by the main companies in this sector,” she said. Badila said the rigged auctions influenced the timber price and that the prosecutors may also be notified about some of the documents the competition inspectors found during their investigation. “We have carried out the inspection at all companies in the same time and this was the amplest forensic inspection we’ve had so far,” Badila said. The inspectors copied the information in dozens of computers and are analyzing the content. The investigation started two years ago. Austrian timber “baron” sells his forests in Romania to Swedish group editor@romania-insider.com