Compliance Radar
Who was sanctioned, and for what?
Fines, court rulings and incidents from Europe and North America: 756 cases from 32 jurisdictions, each with an official source and checked against that source before publication. Filter by country, area of law and sector. Click a chart to drill down one level.
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Where?
by countryWhat for?
by topicWho?
by company- AS Asphaltstraßensanierung GmbH, BITUNOVA GmbH, Kutter Spezialstraßenbau GmbH & Co. KG, Possehl Construction GmbH (inkl. VSI), Liesen…alles für den Bau GmbH, OAT GmbH/Otto Alte-Teigeler GmbH €60.3m 77 % · 1 case
- AS Asphaltstraßensanierung, BITUNOVA, Mainka u. a. (Straßenerhaltungskartell, 7 Unternehmen) €10.5m 13 % · 1 case
- BeMo Tunnelling, Echterhoff-Holland, Eiffage Infra-West, Fenne, Gehrken, IH Inpako, IHT, Karger, Korte, Mainka Bau, Möllmann, Rostek & Pesch, T&M Baugesellschaft, AKM Verwaltungsgesellschaft €4.8m 6 % · 1 case
- Strabag AG (Köln); Kemna Bau Andreae GmbH & Co. KG als Kronzeuge ohne Bußgeld €2.79m 4 % · 1 case
- PAUPE HOLDING SA, Bitusag S.A., Bitusag Neuchâtel SA, Wyss Fils SA, Prodo SA, Duckert SA — 0 % · 1 case
When?
per quarter, by date of decision| Period | Cases | Total |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2023 | 0 | — |
| Q4 2023 | 1 | €4.8m |
| Q1 2024 | 0 | — |
| Q2 2024 | 0 | — |
| Q3 2024 | 0 | — |
| Q4 2024 | 2 | €2.86m |
| Q1 2025 | 0 | — |
| Q2 2025 | 1 | €10.5m |
| Q3 2025 | 1 | — |
| Q4 2025 | 0 | — |
| Q1 2026 | 0 | — |
| Q2 2026 | 0 | — |
| Q3 2026 | 1 | €60.3m |
6 cases
6 Aug 2026 AS Asphaltstraßensanierung GmbH, BITUNOVA GmbH, Kutter Spezialstraßenbau GmbH & Co. KG, Possehl Construction GmbH (inkl. VSI), Liesen…alles für den Bau GmbH, OAT GmbH/Otto Alte-Teigeler GmbHBundeskartellamt: 60.3 million EUR against DSK road repair cartel €60.3m
From around 2010 to September 2019, six suppliers of thin cold-laid asphalt surface layers (Dünne Asphaltdeckschichten in Kaltbauweise, DSK) allocated customers – primarily public contracting authorities – and contracts among themselves nationwide and coordinated prices. Germany's Federal Cartel Office (Bundeskartellamt) imposed fines of around 60.3 million EUR; all proceedings ended in settlements.
Anyone who "shares out" public contracts regionally risks fines running into millions – calculations and bids must always be prepared independently.
Customer allocation and bid rigging in public contracts
- Authority / court
- Bundeskartellamt
- Area of law
- Competition law · Cartels and collusion
- Legal basis
- § 1 GWB, Art. 101 AEUV
- Action
- Fine
- Status of proceedings
- final
- Sector
- Construction and real estate
- Mitigating circumstances
- Leniency bonus for Possehl/VSI, Bitunova, Kutter and AS; settlement
- Published
- 6 Aug 2026
- Bußgelder wegen Kartellabsprachen im Bereich Straßenreparatur mit DSK Press release of an authority
Checked against the official source on 25 Sep 2026 · Direct link
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25 Aug 2025 PAUPE HOLDING SA, Bitusag S.A., Bitusag Neuchâtel SA, Wyss Fils SA, Prodo SA, Duckert SAWEKO fines road maintenance firms in Jura/Neuchâtel over bid rigging Fine
Regional suppliers of surface treatments and chip sealing in road maintenance colluded on bids and allocated territories. Switzerland's Competition Commission (Wettbewerbskommission, WEKO) imposed sanctions on Bitusag/Paupe (jointly and severally, CHF 640,000–990,000, exact amount redacted), Wyss Fils (CHF 44,000–74,000), Prodo (CHF 760) and Duckert (CHF 0) and approved amicable settlements; the investigation against Colas Suisse was discontinued.
Small regional road builders are also sanctioned – cover bids and territorial protection must disappear from corporate culture.
Cover bids and territorial agreements in regional road construction
- Authority / court
- Wettbewerbskommission (WEKO)
- Area of law
- Competition law · Cartels and collusion
- Legal basis
- Art. 5 Abs. 3 i.V.m. Abs. 1 KG, Art. 49a Abs. 1 KG
- Action
- Fine
- Status of proceedings
- unknown
- Sector
- Construction and real estate
- Mitigating circumstances
- Amicable settlements; leniency programme (Duckert free of sanctions)
- Enduits superficiels et gravillonnage : Décision du 25 août 2025 Decision of an authority
Checked against the official source on 25 Sep 2026 · Direct link
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13 May 2025 AS Asphaltstraßensanierung, BITUNOVA, Mainka u. a. (Straßenerhaltungskartell, 7 Unternehmen)Bundeskartellamt: 10.5 million EUR against seven road repair companies €10.5m
From 2016 to 2019, seven road repair companies allocated contracting authorities regionally, determined in advance who should win the contract and set each other minimum prices for cover bids. The Bundeskartellamt imposed fines of 10.5 million EUR; BITUNOVA cooperated as leniency applicant, and all proceedings ended in settlements. Addressees: AS Asphaltstraßensanierung GmbH, bausion Strassenbau-Produkte GmbH, BITUNOVA GmbH, Gerhard Herbers GmbH, Liesen … alles für den Bau GmbH, Mainka GmbH Straßenunterhaltung, MOT Müritzer Oberflächentechnik GmbH.
Cover bids are not only subject to fines but, for the employees involved, a criminal offence of bid rigging.
Cover bids and territorial agreements in tenders
- Authority / court
- Bundeskartellamt
- Area of law
- Competition law · Cartels and collusion
- Legal basis
- § 1 GWB
- Action
- Fine
- Status of proceedings
- final
- Sector
- Construction and real estate
- Mitigating circumstances
- Leniency programme (BITUNOVA), settlement
- Liability of senior managers
- Criminal prosecution of the individuals involved by the Düsseldorf public prosecutor's office
- Published
- 13 May 2025
- Kartellabsprachen zwischen Straßenreparatur-Unternehmen Press release of an authority
Checked against the official source on 25 Sep 2026 · Direct link
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6 Nov 2024 Strabag AG (Köln); Kemna Bau Andreae GmbH & Co. KG als Kronzeuge ohne BußgeldBundeskartellamt: 2.79 million EUR against Strabag over collusion on Cologne's Zoobrücke €2.79m
In the tender for the refurbishment of the Zoobrücke bridge in Cologne in early 2017, employees agreed that one company would submit a cover bid so that the other would win the contract, in return for a later compensation payment. Strabag received a fine of 2.79 million EUR (settlement); the proceedings against Kemna were discontinued as it was the leniency applicant.
A single rigged tender is enough for a fine and criminal proceedings – compensation payments between bidders are a clear red flag.
Cover bids and compensation payments in individual tenders
- Authority / court
- Bundeskartellamt
- Area of law
- Competition law · Cartels and collusion
- Legal basis
- § 1 GWB
- Action
- Fine
- Status of proceedings
- final
- Sector
- Construction and real estate
- Employees
- 10,000 or more
- Mitigating circumstances
- Settlement
- Liability of senior managers
- The Cologne public prosecutor's office is prosecuting the individuals involved under Section 298 StGB (German Criminal Code)
- Published
- 6 Nov 2024
- Geldbuße gegen die Strabag AG wegen Absprachen bei der Sanierung der Zoobrücke in Köln Press release of an authority
Checked against the official source on 25 Sep 2026 · Direct link
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16 Oct 2024 OGH: 65,000 EUR fine against joinery over cover bids and market sharing €65,000
From February 2011 to October 2016, a construction and furniture joinery anonymised in the decision (J*, together with its general partner GmbH) participated in agreements on successful bidders, cover bids, market sharing and information exchange in tenders in Lower Austria and Vienna. The Cartel Court imposed a fine of 55,000 EUR only for 26 infringements up to June 2016; the OGH upheld the appeals of the BWB and the Federal Cartel Prosecutor and set a fine of 65,000 EUR on a joint and several basis for the entire period.
Even small craft businesses are penalised for cover bids – "courtesy bids" among colleagues are competition law infringements.
Cover bids in tenders for craft trades
- Authority / court
- Oberster Gerichtshof als Kartellobergericht (Antrag der Bundeswettbewerbsbehörde)
- Area of law
- Competition law · Cartels and collusion
- Legal basis
- § 1 Abs 1 KartG 2005, §§ 28, 29 KartG
- Action
- Fine
- Status of proceedings
- final
- Sector
- Construction and real estate
- OGH 16 Ok 6/23b vom 16.10.2024 Court decision
Checked against the official source on 25 Sep 2026 · Direct link
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14 Dec 2023 BeMo Tunnelling, Echterhoff-Holland, Eiffage Infra-West, Fenne, Gehrken, IH Inpako, IHT, Karger, Korte, Mainka Bau, Möllmann, Rostek & Pesch, T&M Baugesellschaft, AKM VerwaltungsgesellschaftBundeskartellamt: 4.8 million EUR against 14 construction firms over collusion in industrial construction €4.8m
13 construction companies colluded on industrial construction contracts of Hüttenwerke Krupp Mannesmann (2011–2016), ThyssenKrupp Steel Europe (2007–2017) and Deutsche Edelstahlwerke (2014–2016) and sent each other their calculations so that the others could submit higher sham bids. The Bundeskartellamt imposed fines and liability amounts totalling around 4.8 million EUR on the companies, the former parent company AKM (the first liability amounts under the 2017 amendment to the GWB, the German Act against Restraints of Competition) and twelve responsible individuals; the leniency applicant Hermann Kassens escaped a fine.
Contracts from private industrial customers such as steelworks are also protected against bid rigging – exchanging calculations with competitors is prohibited.
Bid rigging in private industrial contracts
- Authority / court
- Bundeskartellamt
- Area of law
- Competition law · Cartels and collusion
- Legal basis
- § 1 GWB
- Action
- Fine
- Status of proceedings
- final
- Sector
- Construction and real estate
- Mitigating circumstances
- Settlement by almost all companies; leniency applicant Hermann Kassens Bauunternehmung (proceedings discontinued)
- Liability of senior managers
- Fines or liability amounts imposed on twelve responsible individuals
- Published
- 14 Dec 2023
- Geldbußen und Haftungsbeträge wegen Absprachen im Industriebau Press release of an authority
Checked against the official source on 25 Sep 2026 · Direct link