ISLAMABAD: The Competition Appellate Tribunal (CAT) has upheld the Competition Commission of Pakistan’s (CCP) decision to penalize Diamond Paints for deceptive marketing — a violation of Section 10 of the Competition Act, 2010. The original penalty of PKR 5 million was halved to PKR 2.5 million, in light of the company’s compliance-oriented approach. The tribunal’s decision follows Diamond Paints’ admission of guilt and a plea for leniency. Appreciating the company’s willingness to comply with legal obligations, the CAT reduced the fine and disposed of the appeal. The CCP’s original order was issued by a bench comprising Chairman Dr. Kabir Ahmed Sidhu and Member Mr. Salman Amin. It stemmed from a complaint filed by Nippon Paint Pakistan (Pvt.) Ltd, alleging that Diamond Paints failed to disclose key details in its television commercials (TVCs), specifically the presence and value of redeemable tokens in its paint buckets. Staff reporter
