Islamabad, December 15, 2025 — The Competition Appellate Tribunal (CAT) on Monday upheld the ruling of the Competition Commission of Pakistan (CCP) in a long-running cartelization case involving the Pakistan Poultry Association (PPA), while reducing the imposed penalty from Rs50 million to Rs25 million.
According to an official release, the tribunal disposed of the appeal filed by the PPA, maintaining the CCP’s findings on cartel behavior but granting partial relief in the amount of the fine. The reduction was made in line with a Supreme Court judgment delivered in a similar case, which had adopted a more lenient approach towards penalties.
The tribunal directed the Pakistan Poultry Association to deposit the reduced penalty within 15 days of receiving the order. It noted that the circumstances of the current appeal closely resembled those addressed by the apex court in its 2022 ruling.
The case dates back to 2010, when the Competition Commission of Pakistan imposed a Rs50 million fine on the PPA and its members for forming a cartel and engaging in illegal collusion to influence poultry product prices. The commission found the association in violation of Section 4 of the Competition Act, which prohibits anti-competitive agreements and practices.
During the proceedings, counsel representing the PPA informed the tribunal that the association had no objection to the appeal being decided in accordance with the Supreme Court’s earlier judgment. The apex court had reduced penalties in comparable cartel cases, setting a precedent for leniency under specific circumstances.
Relying on the same legal reasoning and with the consent of the appellant, the Competition Appellate Tribunal reduced the total penalty to Rs25 million. The tribunal concluded that, given the similarity of facts, there was no need to reassess the case on merit, bringing the prolonged legal dispute to a close.