Finnish wood processing companies facing possible anti-trust action are not being allowed to see the material given to officials by UPM, one of Finland’s leading paper manufacturers.
The Finnish Competition Authority said on Friday that the material would be made public once the investigation is complete.
Stora Enso and Metsäliitto, whose offices were raided two weeks ago, have criticised the decision.
Usually a document is made public when it has been submitted to an authority. Metsäliitto filed a request to the Competition Authority to see the material submitted by UPM, but was refused.
A similar request by Helsingin Sanomat was also declined.
UPM issued a statement in late May admitting that it had been involved in illegal cooperation with its competitors. By coming forward and informing on the other companies involved in the alleged cartel, UPM might avert a fine.
The Competition Authority says in a statement issued on Friday that it needs to keep the material confidential during its investigation.
"If the other members of the cartel were to get information about the material in the possession of the Competition Authority while the investigation is still going on, the other members of the cartel could significantly hamper the investigations of the Competition Authority."
The head of legal affairs at Stora Enso, Jyrki Kurkinen, feels that it is strange that a company is not allowed to know what it is accused of. His views were echoed by Metsäliitto lawyer Esa Kaikonen.
