Court fines Google $47 mln for failure to pay penalty imposed earlier by FAS
In February 2022, Russia’s antitrust service established that the rules related to “the formation, suspension, blocking of accounts and circulation of users’ content on YouTube are non-transparent, biased and unpredictable,” according to the statement
Google has been fined 4 bln rubles ($47 mln) by a magistrate court for failing to pay a penalty imposed earlier by the Russian Federal Antimonopoly Service (FAS), according to a statement released by the Service on Tuesday.
“The company must pay an additional 4 bln rubles to the budget of the Russian Federation. Today, Moscow’s Presnensky District Magistrate Court passed a judgment regarding Google LLC to impose a fine doubling the amount of the fine imposed by the Russian Federal Antimonopoly Service, which was not paid in due time,” the statement reads.
In February 2022, Russia’s antitrust service established that the rules related to “the formation, suspension, blocking of accounts and circulation of users’ content on YouTube are non-transparent, biased and unpredictable,” according to the statement. As a result, FAS imposed a turnover fine on Google in the amount of over 2 bln rubles.
The US company tried to appeal the Service’s decision and order, as well as the ruling imposing the fine, but the Ninth Arbitration Court of Appeal upheld the legality of the decision made earlier, the statement said.
Unless the company pays the fine within 60 days after the court’s decision comes into force, the Service will pass the information along to court enforcement officers for recovering the payment, and the case materials – to the court for doubling the punishment, FAS noted.
