Russian regulator accuses Rosneft of forcing up gasoline price

IRKUTSK/MOSCOW, May 13 (RIA Novosti) - Russia's anti-monopoly service said on Tuesday it had launched a probe into state oil giant Rosneft for using its dominant position to force gasoline prices up in a Siberian region.

According to the Federal Anti-Monopoly Service (FAS), the crude producer breached competition laws by abusing its dominant position at auctions to sell its automobile fuel in East Siberia's Irkutsk Region.

"At its tenders for the right to purchase automobile fuel, Rosneft failed to announce the starting price for a metric ton of gasoline. Wholesale buyers were obliged to offer a price themselves, which resulted in retail fuel price hikes," Valentina Zamorina, head of the FAS Irkutsk branch, said.

Zamorina said Rosneft's actions affected end users of gasoline in the Irkutsk Region who had to pay 3.5 rubles ($0.15) more per liter than in the neighboring Krasnoyarsk Region.

However, Rosneft said it controlled less than 40% of the retail petroleum product market in the Irkutsk Region and that the company's wholesale prices are the lowest in the region.