CCP raids JDW Sugar Mills, impounds record

ISLAMABAD: The Competition Commission of Pakistan (CCP) on Friday raided premises of Jehangir Khan Tarin’s owned JDW Sugar Mills and impounded record from possession of one senior official, it is learnt.

However, the CCP did not mention the name of the sugar mills in its official press release. But the official sources confirmed that the CCP team raided the premises of JDW Sugar Mills owned by JKT and impounded records.

The CCP has been conducting inquiry to ascertain any collusive practices for earning lofty profits as the prices of sweetener went up and crossed Rs100 per kg in the local market. According to official statement issued on Friday stating that the Competition Commission of Pakistan (CCP) carried out a search and inspection of a sugar mills head office in Lahore, to impound proofs of the group’s suspected involvement in anti-competitive activities in violation of the Competition Act, 2010.

As part of an ongoing enquiry into the possible anti-competitive activities in the sugar industry, the CCP on Sept 14, 2020 carried out a search and inspection of the Pakistan Sugar Mills Association’s Lahore and Islamabad offices and impounded PSMA’s record including the correspondence done through letters, emails, and whatsapp messages, among various members and office bearers of PSMA.

The impounded data included exchange of emails among a senior official of one of the sugar mills (member of PSMA) and PSMA Punjab zone office bearers regarding sensitive commercial information such as mill-wise, district-wise sugar stock position, and even the quantity of cane crushed, sugar produced, recovery percentage, carry forward old/raw sugar, total sugar, quantity sold, balance and sold percentage.

Moreover, an analysis of the whatsapp messages exchanged in a group of PSMA officials, the same senior official of that sugar mills was found to be in constant communication with regard to price and stock related data of sugar mills.

The impounded data indicated the senior official’s continued involvement in sharing/receiving sensitive information regarding sugar industry since 2012 when he was nominated as the focal person for coordinating the sugar stock position by PSMA.

The CCP suspects that the compilation, consolidation, and distribution of sensitive commercial information using the PSMA’s platform could lead to possible proof/corroboration of collusive activity/cartelisation that is violative of the Competition Act.

The search team has impounded the relevant print and electronic material from the above-mentioned sugar mills premises for further scrutiny, the statement concluded.