Sydney waste companies, Aussie Skips Recycling and Aussie Skips Bin Services (together Aussie Skips), along with its chief executive Emmanuel Roussakis, have today each pleaded guilty in the Federal Court to a criminal cartel offence.
The charges, laid by the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions (CDPP), relate to allegations that in mid-2019, Aussie Skips and Bingo Industries agreed to increase and fix prices for the supply of skip bins and processing services for building and demolition waste in Sydney. The case was investigated by the ACCC and then referred to the CDPP, which laid criminal charges.
Bingo and its former managing director and CEO, Daniel Tartak have previously entered guilty pleas in relation to the same cartel. Tartak is scheduled to be sentenced over the matter on March 9-10.
“Cartels are illegal because they can cause serious economic damage to the economy. This is also the reason why the ACCC takes investigations into cartel conduct seriously and will continue to refer matters to the CDPP when appropriate,” ACCC deputy chair Mick Keogh said.
The matter will now proceed to a sentencing hearing for Aussie Skips and Roussakis in the Federal Court on May 22-23, 2023.
An individual convicted of a criminal cartel offence may be sentenced to up to 10 years in jail, or fined up to $444,000, or a combination of both. For companies, the maximum fine for each criminal cartel offence before November 9, 2022 is the higher of $10 million, or three times the total benefit that has been obtained.