Security services

The Grand Chamber of the Hellenic Competition Commission, by its unanimous Decision No. 721/2020, adopted under the simplified Settlement Procedure, decided the following:

Α. BRINK’S SECURITY SERVICES S.A. and BRINK’S AVIATION SECURITY SERVICES S.A., MEGA SPRINT GUARD S.A., DRASIS SECURITY GROUP, STEFANIDIS D. KONSTANTΙNOS, DIAS SPRINT GUARD were engaged, as they have unreservedly accepted, to the extent that each of them is concerned, in anti-competitive actions consisting in distorting competition in breach of Articles 1(1) of L. 3959/2011, 1(1) of L. 703/1977 and 101 TFEU, in the market of security services, as follows:

1) BRINK’S SECURITY SERVICES S.A.: for the period from 25.5.2009 to 24.2.2011

2) BRINK’S AVIATION SECURITY SERVICES S.A.: for the period from 15.7.2010 to 24.2.2011.

3) MEGA SPRINT GUARD S.A.: for the period from 13.12.2011 to 2.2.2012 concerning the violation of the companies MEGA SPRINT, DRASIS and STEFANIDIS and from 11.11.2010 to 15.7.2011 regarding the violation of the companies MEGA SPRINT and DIAS SPRINT.

4) ACTION SECURITY GROUP: for the period from 13.12.2011 to 2.2.2012.

3) STEFANIDIS D. KONSTANTINOS: for the period from 13.12.2011 to 2.2.2012.

4) DIAS SPRINT GUARD: for the period from 11.11.2010 to 15.7.2011.

B.The Hellenic Competition Commission imposed on the aforementioned companies the following fines (depending on the duration of the involvement of each one in the infringements):

1) BRINK’S SECURITY SERVICES S.A, a fine of €411.154,51 

2) BRINK’S AVIATION SECURITY SERVICES S.A, a fine of €17.676,083 

3) MEGA SPRINT GUARD A.E., a fine of €256.750,574 

4) DRASIS SECURITY GROUP, a fine of €2.213,545 

5) STEFANIDIS D. KONSTANTΙNOS, a fine of €81,69.

6) DIAS SPRINT GUARD, a fine of €230,13.

C. The Commission obliges the abovementioned undertakings to omit in the future the infringement found in the reasoning

D. The Commission threatens the above companies with fines, if it is confirmed that the infringements found will be continued or repeated in the future.

According to the grounds of the HCC’s Decision, BRINK’S SECURITY SERVICES S.A. and BRINK’S AVIATION SECURITY SERVICES S.A. were engaged, as they have unreservedly accepted, during the period 2009-2011, to the extent that each of them is concerned, in anti-competitive actions consisting in distorting competition in breach of Articles 1(1) of L. 3959/2011, 1(1) of L. 703/1977 and 101 TFEU, in the market of security services. By the same Decision, the HCC found out that MEGA SPRINT GUARD S.A, DRASIS SECURITY GROUP S.A, DIAS SPRINT GUARD and STEFANIDIS D. KONSTANTΙNOS, during the period 2010-2012, participated, as they have unreservedly accepted, to the extent that each of them is concerned, in horizontal cartels (cartels between MEGA SPRINT - DIAS SPRINT GUARD και MEGA SPRINT - DRASIS – STEFANIDIS) in breach of Articles 1 L. 703/1977 and 1 L. 3959/2011, in the context of tendering procedures in the market of security services.