KUALA LUMPUR: Proposed amendments to the Competition Act 2010 will enable the Malaysia Competition Commission (MyCC) to appeal decisions at the Competition Appeal Tribunal, according to Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Minister Datuk Armizan Mohd Ali.
Currently, MyCC cannot appeal decisions, though the opposing party can seek a judicial review.
"These are among the components we are looking to improve," Armizan said during question time in Parliament on Thursday (Feb 6).
He also mentioned plans to introduce legislation on merger controls, with the bill's draft already approved by the Attorney-General’s Chambers.
"It is currently being distributed to other ministries for their feedback. God willing, we are targeting to table it for the first reading in this meeting," he said.
Armizan noted that MyCC is actively investigating 13 cases of alleged bid rigging, involving 561 businesses with tenders valued at RM2.3bil.
He added that 257 businesses have been identified as part of cartels, and two have misused their monopoly status.
"A collective financial penalty of RM571.5mil was issued. The biggest case investigated by MyCC is related to the chicken feed cartel, which resulted in a financial penalty of RM415.5mil," he said.
Armizan was responding to a question from William Leong Jee Keen (PH-Selayang) about the effectiveness of enforcement measures under the Competition Act and the number of charges made under the act up to 2024.
