CCI Order u/s 43A, 44 & 45 of the Competition Act, 2002 in the case of Amazon.com NV Investment Holding LLC-(Penalty imposed u/s 43A- 200 Cr. , u/s 44 -1 Cr. , u/s 45- 1 Cr)
In terms of Section 43A of the Act, if any person or enterprise fails to give notice under sub-section (2) of Section 6 of the Act, the Commission shall impose on such person or enterprise a penalty which may extend to one percent of the total turnover or the assets, whichever is higher, of such a combination. In case of a contravention under Sections 44 and 45 of the Act, each of the said provision renders the contravening person liable, inter alia, to a penalty, as provided therein. Though the penalty under Sections 43A, 44 and 45 of the Act can be to the extent mentioned therein, the Commission has sufficient discretion to consider the conduct of the parties and the circumstances of the case to arrive at an appropriate amount of penalty.
All the contraventions arise from a deliberate design on the part of Amazon to suppress the actual scope and purpose of the Combination, and the Commission finds no mitigating factor. Resultantly, the Commission considers it appropriate to levy the maximum penalty of INR One Crore each under the provisions of Section 44 and Section 45 of Act. Accordingly, Amazon is directed to pay a penalty of INR Two Crore.
As regards failure to notify combination in terms of the obligation cast under Section 6(2) of the Act, Section 43A of the Act enables the Commission to impose a penalty, which may extend to one percent of the total turnover or the assets, whichever is higher, of such a combination. Accordingly, for the above mentioned reasons, the Commission hereby imposes a penalty of INR Two Hundred Crore upon Amazon.
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