Operation catches distributors profiting from old fuels and notifies brands that dominate 70% of the domestic market
In an escalation to contain the abusive rise in fuel prices, a federal government task force fined and notified, on Wednesday (18), some of the largest distributors in the country. The operation, centralized in the Federal District, brought together the Federal Police, the National Petroleum Agency (ANP) and the National Consumer Secretariat (Senacon), targeting the top of the sector’s chain after a series of complaints of irregular transfers to the pumps.
Unlike the blitzes carried out on Tuesday (17), which focused on gas stations, the new offensive closed the siege against large suppliers. The ANP inspected six distributors and fined Raízen, Ipiranga and Masut for clear indications of price abusiveness. In a parallel action, Senacon notified Vibra (formerly BR), in addition to Raízen and Ipiranga, companies that, together, account for about 70% of the national market, based on strict guidelines of the Consumer Protection Code.
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The government offensive was triggered by complaints sent by consumer protection agencies, such as Procons, and by the gas station owners themselves. The investigations investigate two main harmful practices: the sale of products that had been purchased by distributors at old prices, but which were resold at values already adjusted, and the purposeful retention of stocks in order to speculate and wait for new price increases.
For the Ministry of Justice and Public Security (MJSP), the operation marks an unprecedented level of integration between the inspection agencies, which also include the Administrative Council for Economic Defense (Cade) and the Federal Revenue Service.
According to the national secretary of Consumer, Ricardo Morishita, the free market regime adopted in Brazil cannot serve as a shield for predatory practices that suffocate the driver’s pocket. “There is freedom of prices, but not freedom to harm. Any excess needs to be investigated and fought rigorously”, emphasized the secretary.
The current offensive against the giants of the sector comes in the wake of an emergency package launched by the federal government last week, focused on specifically containing the escalation in diesel prices.
In an attempt to shield the transport sector and the final consumer from the shock of transfers, the Executive announced the exemption of taxes levied on fuel. The tariff exemption, however, did not come alone: the measure was accompanied by the issuance of a new government resolution that established stricter inspection guidelines.
The text of the resolution was designed precisely to typify and facilitate the punishment of distributors caught in market speculation practices or charging abusive prices. The legal rule paved the way and gave legal support to the task force that is now on the streets inspecting the inventories and invoices of companies.
