Danish recruitment firm accused of obstructing inspection by deleting emails

A Danish recruitment agency faces accusations of violating competition law after an employee systematically deleted a large volume of emails during an unannounced inspection. JobTeam, a nationwide recruitment and staffing firm, is under scrutiny by the Competition and Consumer Authority for obstructing the official visit.

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Control inspections are crucial for the authority to enforce the law. This is often where we find the conclusive evidence of a violation of competition rules.

The authority reported that the employee deleted around 5,000 "elements," primarily emails, from the company's IT system. While the content of the deleted messages and the specific reason for the attempted concealment remain undisclosed, the authority stated the deletion appeared methodical and targeted. Fortunately, investigators were able to recover all the deleted material.

Stefan Kobbernagel, office chief at the Competition and Consumer Authority, emphasized the critical role of control inspections in enforcing the law. "This is often where we find the conclusive evidence of a violation of competition rules," he stated. "Companies have a duty to cooperate with us during a control inspection, and it is forbidden to delete material while the investigation is ongoing."

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Companies have a duty to cooperate with us during a control inspection, and it is forbidden to delete material while the investigation is ongoing.

The inspection was initially prompted by suspicions that the competition law had been previously breached in another, unspecified case. A decision is still pending in that matter. The authority can either open a new case against a company or close the matter with a warning, depending on the circumstances. The company is expected to face a fine, though the exact amount will depend on the outcome of any potential appeal.

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Deletion of material weakens our ability to enforce competition rules, and it can result in a fine.