Watchdog cracks down on commercial bribery cases
Officials investigate a pharmacy.
Shanghai's market watchdog fined and confiscated unlawful gains totaling more than 18 million yuan (US$2.67 million) in 60 commercial bribery cases last year.
According to the Shanghai Administration for Market Regulation, four of them have been turned over to judicial authorities.
Six typical cases were brought to light on Tuesday.
Between March and July last year, Shanghai Fumei Dongjia Pharmacy was found to have bribed a number of doctors at a local hospital to increase the sales of medicines such as azithromycin and cefixime.
Market regulators in Xuhui District handed over the matter to police.
In another case, Shanghai SunWay Business Development Co Ltd, a food sales company, was discovered bribing bakery chefs at two luxury hotels in the Pudong New Area and Jing'an District.
The company made illegal profits worth about 240,000 yuan.
It was fined about 400,000 yuan for violating China's anti-unfair competition law.
Officials question hotel staff in one case.
