Petrol, Codacons: 'On fuel prices exposed to 104 prosecutors. Price lists out of control'

Petrol, Codacons: “Fuel prices exposed to 104 prosecutors. Price lists out of control. Judiciary and Antitrust must intervene”

Codacons has in fact filed a complaint with 104 Public Prosecutor's Offices throughout Italy and with the Competition Authority, asking them to investigate the abnormal increases in the prices of petrol and diesel at the pump and possible speculation underway to the detriment of consumers and businesses.

Codacons comments: “These days the price lists of fuels sold at distributors are literally out of control, with petrol in self-service mode going towards 2,3 euros per litre and costing on average 39,3% more than in the same period in 2021, while diesel is even rising by +51,3%. In some areas of the country fuels have already broken through the threshold of 2,5 euros per litre, such as Ischia (2,629 euros/litre), La Maddalena (2,589 euros/litre) and Ventotene (2,579 euros per litre)”.

Increases whose extent does not appear justified either by the current oil prices, nor by reductions in supplies in the area linked to the war in Ukraine, not to mention that petrol and diesel sold today at distributors were purchased months ago, at significantly lower prices.

Codacons also states: “The risk is that the increases in prices at the pump could be “doped” by speculative phenomena aimed at exploiting the delicate situation in Ukraine to increase profits to the detriment of consumers and businesses.

“For such – concludes Codacons – for this reason we are presenting a complaint to the Antitrust and to 104 Public Prosecutors' Offices throughout Italy, asking them to open investigations on the territory with the assistance of the Guardia di Finanza and to ascertain any speculation and illicit activities, in light of the possible cases of aggravated fraud, stock market manipulation and speculative maneuvers on goods”.