Sorainen defended the interests of Eurocash1 in a legal process concerning a prohibited vertical agreement, a process which continued for more than eight years. An agreement was made among G4S and the three biggest banks in Lithuania. According to the agreement, the banks were obliged to buy cash-handling services exclusively from G4S.
A complaint about the agreement was brought to the Competition Council by Eurocash1, which convinced the Council that G4S had violated the law. The Court confirmed the conclusions drawn by the Council and the fine of EUR 2.7 million against G4S remained in force. In the opinion of the Council, the agreement infringed competition law. This conclusion was drawn at the beginning of the case, as well as after a reinvestigation by the Council by order of the Court.
Says Vytautas Labeckas, CEO of Eurocash1: “I am happy that we did not give up fighting for justice since the beginning of the process in 2009 but consistently worked towards this aim. Finally, yesterday the Court found a forbidden vertical agreement. I strongly believe that the losses incurred by Eurocash1 will be compensated”.
Adds Sorainen partner Daivis Švirinas, who represents Eurocash1: “This case has significant importance, for at least two reasons. Firstly, since the beginning of this case the opportunities for other cash-collectors to compete in the market significantly increased when the illegal agreement was terminated, even though the negative consequences are still being felt. What is also important to note is that the Court confirmed that the biggest players in the market cannot abuse their power to affect fair competition, and smaller players in the market cannot give up under pressure from bigger players. This is also a significant victory and an important point of note for players in other sectors, that one should fight for rights that are violated”.
The client was advised by partner D. Švirinas and senior associate Monika Mališauskaitë.
