CA seeks to tighten screws on cartels

Currently, bid-rigging is not a criminal conduct under Botswana laws, according to Duncan Morotsi, director of legal and enforcement. Giving a presentation at the national bid-rigging workshop that was held in Gaborone on Tuesday, he said the law should be amended to punish those officials found to be engaged in aiding or abetting the conduct.

Morotsi noted that the Competition Act prohibits horizontal agreements, directly or indirectly fixing a purchasing or selling price or dividing markets by allocating customers, suppliers territories or specific type of goods. It also prohibits bid-rigging, which the director described as “hardcore cartel behaviour”.