The Competition Commission of Pakistan (CCP) has imposed penalties totaling Rs 44.36 billion and recovered 223 cases for violations of the Competition Law, marking significant progress in the enforcement of competition laws, according to the latest data released by CCP on Friday.
Since the new management took charge in August 2023, the CCP has reduced its legal backlog, which initially stood at 567 pending cases across various courts. Notable decisions by the Competition Appellate Tribunal (CAT) included upholding fines on companies like Reckitt Benckiser (Strepsils), PVMA, ICAP, and British Lyceum, while reducing penalties on others like PREMA Milk, Diamond Paints, 3N Lifemed, and Pakistan Steel Mills.
Through early hearing applications and aggressive follow-up, the CCP has successfully decided 223 cases, cutting its backlog by over 40%. The largest reduction came from CAT, where 121 cases were decided out of 210, reducing the pendency by 58%. Other courts, including the Lahore High Court, Sindh High Court, and Islamabad High Court, also contributed to clearing the backlog, with pendency reductions of 78%, 61%, and 43%, respectively.
At the Supreme Court, 11 cases were decided, and 171 cases challenging CCP’s mandate were consolidated for a single hearing. Over the past year, the commission recovered PKR 360 million, surpassing the total PKR 201 million collected since its inception in 2007.
The CAT also delivered significant rulings, including remanding the high-profile Rs 44 billion Sugar Mills cartel case back to CCP for a fresh hearing, after ruling that the Chair’s casting vote was invalid.
