LONDON - EU officials have raided the offices of the world`s biggest fruit companies as part of an investigation into alleged price-fixing in the European banana and pineapple market, a newspaper reported Saturday.
The Financial Times said the companies raided included Chiquita, Dole, Fresh Del Monte, all of the United States, as well as Fyffes, the Irish fruit and vegetable distributor.
The raids on Thursday by European Commission and national competition officials were triggered by a tip-off from Chiquita itself, the newspaper said in a report from Brussels.
The group said its move had come after management discovered that "certain of its employees had shared pricing and volume information over many years with competitors in Europe," the newspaper said.
In return, the Brussels regulator has granted Chiquita immunity from possible cartel fines, the daily said.
If found guilty of running a cartel, the group`s rivals could face financial penalties worth up to 10 percent of their global annual turnover, it added.
The commission said its officials had searched premises in Ireland, Britain, Germany and Belgium, the daily reported.
06/04/2005 01:16 GMT