U.K. Imposes First Criminal Sentences On Cartel Participants

On June 11, 2008, three individuals were sentenced by the U.K. courts to imprisonment for periods of between two-and-a-half and three years after pleading guilty to dishonestly participating in an international cartel to rig bids, fix prices, restrict supplies, and allocate customers in respect of the worldwide supply of marine hose products. The three executives were also disqualified from acting as U.K. company directors for periods of between five and seven years.