Outcome of MAS, AirAsia appeal case to be known in March - MyCC

The decision on the Malaysia Airlines (MAS) and AirAsia Bhd's appeal to the Competition Appeals Tribunal (CAT) over breach of the market-sharing prohibition in the Competition Act 2010 will be known in March 2015.

The Malaysia Competition Commission (MyCC) had last year fined the country's two major carriers RM10 million each for violating the Act.

MyCC chairman Tan Sri Siti Norma Yaakob said today that the MAS and AirAsia case was still at the appeal stage with CAT and the outcome would only be known in March next year.

Siti Norma also said MyCC was still investigating 15 cases out of the total of 47 cases received since the Competition Act 2010 came into force on Jan 1, 2012.

"We have received 47 complaints but many had to be set aside as the complaints were incomplete; they (complainants) refused when asked to come forward....just complaining but with no evidence."

Siti Norma said she could not divulge details of the 15 active cases as they were still under investigation.

The former Chief Judge of Malaya was speaking at a news conference after the launching of the Guidelines Against Bid-Rigging in Public Procurement and the Help Us Detect Bid-Rigging Guidebook, here, today by Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism Minister Datuk Seri Hasan Malek.

Hasan said bid-rigging could increase tender price by 12 to 15 percent, hence causing wastage in public procurement.

"We must pool efforts to stem overpriced procurement of goods, services and workers and which are sub-standard," he said.

Hasan said wastage that were a loss to society and country could be avoided if the procurement process was under tight control and bid-rigging prevented.