Executive Summary

The Competition Commission (WEKO) has again expanded its investigation into alleged bid-rigging agreements in the construction sector of the Moesa region. The proceedings now encompass nine companies instead of the original three. The investigations began in 2020, were expanded to six companies in 2021, and are now based on new information submitted by one company in autumn 2025. A procedure extension of approximately one year is expected.

Persons

  • Competition Commission (WEKO) (Swiss authority; investigation leadership)

Topics

  • Antitrust law & competition violations
  • Swiss construction sector
  • Bid-rigging agreements (price fixing)
  • Moesa/Ticino region

Clarus Lead

The expansion to nine companies signals that the WEKO has uncovered a larger network of price-fixing agreements during its investigations than originally assumed. The stepwise expansion of the proceedings – from three through six to nine participants – shows a classic pattern of cartel investigations: new statements lead to new suspects. For the affected companies, this means legal uncertainty until at least 2026, while clients in the region were potentially affected by artificially inflated construction costs for years.

Detailed Summary

The WEKO initiated its investigations in 2020 based on indications of illegal price-fixing agreements among construction companies in the Moesa region. The proceedings followed a typical escalation pattern: the first expansion in 2021 doubled the number of suspected companies to six. In spring 2025, the WEKO Secretariat transmitted its preliminary investigation results to these companies for their statements.

The decisive turning point came in autumn 2025, when one of the suspected companies submitted additional information. These new findings forced the WEKO to resume its investigations. The further inquiries revealed evidence of agreements with three additional companies, bringing the total number to nine. The proceedings are expected to be extended by approximately one year. All companies involved are presumed innocent during the ongoing investigation.

Key Statements

  • WEKO investigation into construction sector cartels in Moesa now encompasses nine companies (instead of six)
  • New information from autumn 2025 led to expansion of proceedings
  • Procedure duration extended by approximately one year (expected completion 2026/2027)
  • Presumption of innocence applies to all suspected companies

Critical Questions

  1. Evidence Quality: What type of "new information" led to the expansion to three additional companies – were these documents, whistleblower statements, or findings from data analysis?

  2. Procedure Transparency: Why did it take from spring until autumn 2025 for the WEKO to receive the submitted statements and process the new information?

  3. Causality of Agreements: Does the announcement contain indications of how long the alleged bid-rigging agreements existed and how many public or private construction contracts were affected by them?

  4. Implementation Risks: What provisional measures (e.g., cartel fines, operational restrictions) can the affected companies expect during the one-year procedure extension?

  5. Conflicts of Interest: Are any of the nine companies also involved in other ongoing WEKO proceedings or in other cartel investigations?

Source Directory

Primary Source: Statement of the Competition Commission (WEKO) – https://www.news.admin.ch/de/newnsb/ALUXDo8EKX91UfqZh_Boo

Verification Status: ✓ 25.06.2026

This text was created with the support of an AI model. Editorial responsibility: clarus.news | Fact-checking: 25.06.2026