Supreme Court orders reimbursement of fine imposed by Competition Commission in 2011
Spain’s Club of Protected Plant Varieties (CVVP) has welcomed a Supreme Court decision to reimburse a €5m fine it was forced to pay in a long-running dispute with Valencian grower association Ava-Asaja over the marketing of Nadorcott mandarins.
In 2011, Ava filed a complaint with Spain’s National Competition Commission, accusing CVVP of anti-competitive behaviour in how Nadorcott mandarins were being grown and sold.
As a result of the complaint, a fine of almost €5m was imposed on CVVP. However, a Supreme Court judgement has now overturned the original sanction and ordered the return of the fine, plus the accrued interest, which amounts to €5.5m.
