Hopes that the competition watchdog was coming out of limbo following a three-year hiatus were dashed after it transpired that law changes presented in 2018 are being “reviewed” in the wake of a recent judgment.
Consequently, the Competition Office will remain toothless as it can neither impose fines nor lead its own investigations to determine if a breach was committed or not.
This development came to light through a parliamentary question tabled by Opposition MP Chris Said who asked Justice Minister Owen Bonnici whether the saga would end anytime soon. The minister replied that the Bill comprising the necessary changes to the law would be published sometime in 2019.
The issue revolves around a landmark May 2016 Court of Appeal judgment, which found that certain provisions of the Competition Act were unconstitutional.
The case had been instituted by the Federation of Estate Agents, which had felt aggrieved by the decision of the Director for Competition to proceed against it over alleged breaches of the law. It argued that only a proper court could decide such matters given that, in case of ‘guilt’, it could be fined up to €1.25 million.
Following the judgment, the Competition…