Hong Kong antitrust watchdog, police raid dozen funeral service companies and trade association over anti-competition allegations
- Competition Commission searches 13 premises including funeral parlour cluster in Hung Hom
- Investigation is follow-up operation from last August, when commission conducted surprise inspection of funeral service practitioners at forensic centre
Hong Kong’s antitrust watchdog and police have raided a dozen funeral service companies as well as a trade association alleged to have taken part in price-fixing and other anti-competition practices.
The investigation was a follow-up operation by the watchdog from last August, when it conducted a surprise visit to the New Territories (Shatin) Forensic Medicine Centre, formerly Fu Shan Public Mortuary.
The watchdog said market sharing referred to when competitors agreed to divide or allocate customers, suppliers or geographic areas.
Authorities also said that a trade association and some funeral service companies as well as practitioners were “suspected of having engaged in anticompetitive conduct, including price-fixing”, based on information obtained from the August case.
“The commission therefore initiated another case to pursue the matter further and was satisfied that there is ‘reasonable cause to suspect’ a contravention of a competition rule,” its statement said in its explanation to escalate the case to the investigation phase.
