CCP’s Outstanding Penalty Recovery Drops To Rs19 Bln, Chairman Informs PAC

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 25th Jul, 2025) A subcommittee of the National Assembly’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC), chaired by Naveed Qamar, held a meeting to review the performance of the Competition Commission of Pakistan (CCP), particularly focusing on the recovery of penalties, pending litigation, and legal proceedings.

The meeting examined two audit paras from CCP’s accounts for the fiscal year 2021-22. One of the audit objections related to the appeals pending before courts against the Commission’s orders.

Briefing the committee, CCP Chairman Dr. Kabir Ahmed Sidhu stated that the Commission has introduced reforms in its Legal Department to ensure more effective litigation. As a result of these efforts, the number of pending court cases has been reduced from 577 to around 300, with 224 cases already decided—reflecting a nearly 50% reduction in the overall backlog.

Dr. Sidhu informed the committee that CCP issued 11 major orders over the past year.

The Cartels Department completed 20 inquiries in the current fiscal year, while the Office of Fair Trade concluded 13 inquiries related to deceptive marketing practices.

He added that the Commission successfully recovered over PKR 120 million in penalties—its highest recovery since inception. A dedicated Research Wing has also been established to support evidence-based policymaking and enhance analytical capacity.

Speaking on penalty recoveries, the Chairman noted that although CCP made vigorous efforts, delays in court proceedings and other factors led to a decline in total recoverable penalties—from PKR 68 billion to PKR 19 billion.

He clarified that the Commission’s 2021 order imposing a PKR 44 billion penalty on the sugar industry was remanded by the court for rehearing and thus could not be considered recoverable at this stage. As a result, the recoverable amount now stands at just Rs 1.9 billion.

Committee Chairman Naveed Qamar emphasized the need for CCP to engage competent legal professionals to pursue litigation effectively and ensure enforcement of its decisions.

He also directed the Ministry of Finance to play a proactive role in helping regulatory bodies—particularly CCP—recover imposed penalties efficiently.