Building firms ask for leniency

johannesburg - three construction companies have been granted conditional corporate leniency by the competition commission, business report said on friday.

the commission is investigating collusive practices among 19 companies in the construction sector.

nandi mokoena, manager strategy and stakeholder relations at the commission, told the newspaper the commission had received seven applications for corporate leniency.

the commission had to date rejected one application because this applicant was not "the first through the door" and the other applications were still under consideration, she was quoted as saying.

according to the newspaper, mokoena was unable to name any of the companies who had applied for leniency nor identify the companies that had been granted conditional leniency.

"the commission's corporate leniency programme allows it to grant leniency to the first applicant to apply subject to that applicant fully co-operating with the commission until the finalisation of the case," business report said.

mokoena said the commission was able to grant leniency to more than one company in a specific case it was investigating provided the information provided was different.

she stressed the investigation had only just begun and there were so many companies involved in the case, which meant it was difficult to say how long it would take to be completed.

grinaker, stefanutti stocks, group five, wilson bayly holmes-ovcon, concor, liviero, giuricich, hochtief, dura, nishimatsu, esorfranki, vna pilings, rodio, diabor, gauteng piling, fairbrother, geomechanics, murray & roberts, aveng and other firms, including joint ventures in the industry, are being investigated.