Armenia’s State Commission for Economic Protection (SCEP) has fined Veolia Jur, the country’s water utility, AMD 20 million for abusing its dominant market position.

The SCEP, in its decision, states that Veolia Jur illegally used its influence to hinder the operations of a company called Arazen - an Armenian-German producer of water meters.

Arazen, in its suit, claimed that Veolia Jur imported and installed thousands of water meters unfairly, using its market position to prevent a fair bidding process.

The SCEP also reports that the average cost of the water meters was, in some cases, triple the price of domestically produced meters.