site.btaMP Delyan Peevski Alerts Anti-trust Regulator about Suspected Fuel Cartel Involving Lukoil

Movement for Rights and Freedoms – New Beginning leader Delyan Peevski has alerted the Commission on Protection of Competition (CPC) about a possible fuel cartel involving Lukoil, the party’s press office said on Monday.

Peevski asked the CPC to conduct an in-depth probe into the operation and the actions of Lukoil Neftohim Burgas AD and Lukoil Bulgaria EOOD on the fuel import, processing and distribution market and their links to other market participants, to find whether there has been any formal or informal coordination.

The politician believes it can be reasonably assumed that consumers and businesses have incurred detriment due to a deliberate limitation allowing only Lukoil to import fuel for the Bulgarian market, which was arranged with the consent of other participants. According to Peevski, this has led to higher end-prices of fuels than the likely levels under real competition.

He urged the CPC to take immediate actions to bring to light the facts and circumstances concerning the fuel market. If a cartel is detected, the law should be applied with utmost strictness and the rights of the citizens and the interests of Bulgaria should be completely protected, he insisted.

The party recalled that its leader has repeatedly alerted the competent authorities about the actions of politicians and government ministers vis-a-vis Lukoil. His earlier claims concerned the implementation of a derogation from an EU ban on importing Russian oil, the company’s promise to return BGN 0.73/litre of its excess profit to the people, and its tax payment delays. Furthermore, Peevski suspects connections with former finance minister Assen Vassilev and former prime minister Nikolay Denkov (both of them affiliated with the Continue the Change – Democratic Bulgaria coalition) and a political umbrella protecting Lukoil.

In February 2024, the CPC said that the previous year member companies of the Lukoil group were fined BGN 262,907,629 for violating anti-trust regulations for the fuel market.