The Competition Authority imposed an administrative fine of 1.3 billion Turkish liras on BIM for obstructing the on-site examination by agency experts. According to the Competition Authority’s statement, during the on-site inspection conducted at BIM’s headquarters on January 14, it was found that a BIM manager had deleted data.

The Competition Authority imposed a 1.3 billion Turkish lira administrative fine on BIM.

The statement from the Competition Authority emphasized the importance of using the on-site inspection power in determining whether the law was violated, stating that the efficient use of this power is extremely important for establishing competition. It was noted in the statement that if the on-site inspection is impeded or made difficult, the relevant company will be fined an administrative penalty of one-thousandth of its turnover, highlighting that on-site inspections are conducted meticulously using state-of-the-art devices by the Competition Authority. The statement also pointed out that only business-related elements are covered in the inspection and no personal or private data is touched, keeping such data out of the scope of the review. To ensure that businesses undergoing on-site inspections do not face the aforementioned administrative fine, the statement stressed that all employees of the enterprise, from the lowest to the highest level, must refrain from deleting any data from any device used for work as soon as the inspection begins.

Furthermore, the statement warned that this matter could easily be detected by the Authority’s staff using high-tech devices. It was mentioned that during the on-site inspection conducted at BIM’s headquarters on January 14, it was determined by the Authority’s experts that a BIM manager had carried out the act of deleting data after the on-site inspection had commenced. As a result, a decision was made on February 6 by the Board, ruling that the on-site inspection was obstructed and made difficult, leading to the imposition of an administrative fine of approximately 1.3 billion Turkish liras on BIM.