The offices of the world leader in the energy drinks sector "Red Bull" were suddenly inspected yesterday due to the suspicions of Brussels of anti-competitive practices. This was announced today by the Austrian company, quoted by France Press.

"On Monday, representatives of the European Commission visited our offices," Red Bull told AFP, noting that the company cooperated on all issues that concern it. Earlier today, the EU's executive body, which takes care of competition rules, announced in a communique that inspections were carried out in many countries due to concerns about violations of "contracting rules and abuse of a dominant position", reports BTA.

However, the EC did not specify the name of the company in question, nor the countries where the inspections were carried out. These inspections "are a preliminary stage in the investigation of alleged anti-corruption practices," the EC explained, without giving further details. They do not prejudge the outcome of the investigation, specifies the EU executive body.

Companies involved in secret cartels risk high fines. They can receive immunity or a reduction in the amount of the penalty if they call and cooperate with the EU during the entire procedure. The company currently employs nearly 16.000 people worldwide and will sell over 2022 billion cans in 11,58.