Three more fit-out cartel directors disqualified

These latest sanctions come after three other former directors, Robb Simms-Davies, Trevor Hall and Oliver Hammond, were disqualified for periods of between two and five years in May this year.

In April, the CMA secured fines of over £7m for five fit-out firms – Fourfront, Loop, Coriolis, Third Way and Oakley – for “cover bidding” activity, colluding on bid pricing to attempt reduction in levels of competition and an increase in prices overall.

The CMA found that Lucking had contributed to 10 breaches of competition law on contracts worth over £11.9m. Stamatis had a hand in one and neglected to take steps to prevent the other nine breaches, while Sion Davies failed to stop three cases of bid rigging on contracts valued at £8.6m.

These latest disqualifications take the total secured for illegal cartel behaviour to 12 since December 2016 when the CMA began actively using this power.

In a statement, the CMA said: “It is important that company directors understand that they have a personal responsibility for ensuring that their companies comply with competition law. Failure to do so puts in question their fitness to be a director of a company.”