Five beer brewers in Germany were fined Monday a total of $145 million for breaking antitrust laws and joining forces to set sales prices for their products.
The Federal Cartel Office said the companies engaged in price-fixing between 2006 and 2008, The Associated Press reported. The firms that were fined included Bitburger, Krombacher, Veltins, Warsteiner and Barre.
Seven people regarded as “personally responsible” were also named in the case and issued the fines, AP said.
The Federal Cartel Office reported that the investigation first kicked off because of information from Anheuser-Busch Inbev SA. That company avoided fines as a condition and result of its cooperation into the investigation, AP reported.
The office said it settled with the five breweries for a lesser amount than was originally fined. The office also said six other brewers are under investigation, but declined to disclose their names. AP said.
• Cheryl K. Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com.
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