There is a lawsuit against PKN Orlen. The company shows the bills

1 mark 2023, 14:19 | PAP

| DS

Wrocław’s MPK is filing a lawsuit against PKN Orlen due to “inflated fuel prices” and “taking advantage of the monopoly position”, which was to bring damage to the carrier, representatives of the Wrocław authorities and the municipal company announced on Wednesday. Orlen refutes the allegations as “groundless”.

As announced by representatives of the authorities of Wrocław and MPK in Wrocław during a press conference on Wednesday, a lawsuit against PKN Orlen is to be filed with the court in Wrocław on the same day.

The vice-president of Wrocław, Jakub Mazur, assessed that state-owned companies “take advantage of their monopoly position”. He also stated that PKN Orlen’s profits, in particular in the last quarter, come “from the pockets of residents, including MPK passengers”.

— After the merger of PKN Orlen with Grupa Lotos and PGNiG, we lost a contractor. Earlier our fuel purchases were regulated by the stock exchange. Now Orlen, taking advantage of its position on the market, has replaced it with a regulated price, a wholesale price set by Orlen’s management board. Only in December, because of this activity, because of the unfair redistribution of profit, MPK in Wrocław had to pay PLN 1 million more for fuel, said Mazur.

The rest of the article is below the video

MPK shows bills

The chairman of the Wrocław City Council, Sergiusz Kmiecik, in turn informed that in 2020 MPK in Wrocław paid PLN 34 million for diesel oil, and in 2022 twice as much.

Małgorzata Ludwik, representing MPK in Wrocław, explained that the municipal carrier will sue PKN Orlen for damages under the Act on Pursuing Claims for Infringement of Competition Law.

“We’ve calculated that.” MPK suffered damage in the amount of over 900,000. Withla. This is the difference between the wholesale price indicated each day by Orlen and the price calculated on the basis of fluctuating oil prices on the markets, the patron said. She indicated that it was December 2022.

Orlen responds to the allegations

In the statement sent, PKN Orlen described the allegations of “inflating prices” and the use of a “monopoly position” as “groundless”.

See also: Daniel Obajtek issued a statement

“We would like to remind you that the same MPK chose Orlen as a fuel supplier. There are several companies in Poland that sell fuel to large customers, including city bus companies. These companies compete with each other, including by offering customers attractive discounts. The market is therefore competitive, and MPK Wrocław, choosing the offer of a company from the Orlen Group, considered this offer to be the most attractive“, the company said in a statement.