THE SLOVAK Antitrust Office (PMÚ) fined Bratislava-based crude oil refinery Slovnaft Sk300 million after concluding that the company had abused its dominant position to overcharge a wholesale customer. Slovnaft has said it will appeal the verdict.
According to PMÚ spokeswoman Alexandra Bernáthová, Slovnaft gives some customers discounts, while the rest have to pay additional charges.
"In the monitored period, Slovnaft made these price adjustments to petrol and diesel customers in a different and discriminatory manner for no objective reason," Bernáthová stated.
Slovnaft thus discriminated against some of its customers and put them at a competitive disadvantage, the authority said.
In one specific case, the PMÚ said that Slovnaft had discriminated against Shell Slovakia by charging it higher prices for gas than those it charged to OMV Slovensko, despite the fact that Shell bought a higher volume of gas.
Slovnaft responded that Shell had bought special gas for which the refinery had had to purchase special equipment.
