New Zealand’s government yesterday released a draft bill proposing the criminalisation of cartel offences.

Mexico’s Federal Competition Commission now has the power to impose criminal sanctions for hard-core cartel offences, following reforms to the country’s competition law last week.

New Zealand’s government has announced it will publish a draft bill to help it decide whether to make cartel activity a criminal offence.

The UK’s Office of Fair Trading continues to support the country’s criminal cartel regime despite the collapse of its first criminal case against British Airways. Ali Nikpay, the OFT’s senior director of cartels and criminal enforcement, told delegates at the IBA’s 14th annual competition conference, that the OFT has had a “good experience in general” since the implementation of criminal cartel legislation. Faaez Samadi in Florence

Just days after encountering criticism for stalling, South Africa’s president, Jacob Zuma, has signed an amendment to the country’s competition act. The bill makes cartel conduct a criminal offence, and provides for prison sentences for executives found guilty.

The governments of Australia and New Zealand say companies that break competition laws will face the same consequences in both countries – including prison sentences for price fixing.