A court ordered Japanese construction companies to pay a total of ?6.48 billion (US$55 million) in fines after being found guilty in a major bid-rigging scandal involving public bridge building contracts, a court official said yesterday.
The Tokyo High Court ordered 23 bridge builders to pay the fines in violation of the Antitrust Law, the court official said on condition of anonymity, citing protocol.
Prosecutors filed charges last year against 26 companies and several executives for allegedly colluding to divvy up 180 contracts worth a total of ?71 billion in fiscal 2003 and 2004. The court has yet to rule on three other companies.
The firms allegedly set up a system of predetermined prices and winners among dozens of companies, even before bidding began for steel bridge construction contracts offered by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport.
Kyodo News agency said the fines handed down were the largest ever ordered in cases of Antitrust Law violations, surpassing the previous record of ?130 million.
Taiwan’s Lee Chia-hao (李佳豪) on Sunday won a silver medal at the All England Open Badminton Championships in Birmingham, England, a career best. Lee, 25, took silver in the final of the men’s singles against world No. 1 Shi Yuqi (石宇奇) of China, who won 21-17, 21-19 in a tough match that lasted 51 minutes. After the match, the Taiwanese player, who ranks No. 22 in the world, said it felt unreal to be challenging an opponent of Shi’s caliber. “I had to be in peak form, and constantly switch my rhythm and tactics in order to score points effectively,” he said. Lee got
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