Judgment of the Court (Third Chamber) of 19 July 2012 —
Kaimer and Others v Commission

(Case C-264/11 P)

Appeal — Competition — Agreements, decisions and concerted practices — Penalty — Copper and copper alloy fittings sector — Probative value of statements made in the context of the leniency policy

1.                     Appeals — Grounds — Review by the Court of the assessment of the facts and evidence — Possible only where the clear sense of the evidence has been distorted — Assessment of whether the evidence has been distorted in the context of cartel cases (Art. 81(1) EC; Art. 256 TFEU; Statute of the Court of Justice, Art. 58(1)) (see paras 22-24, 31)

2.                     Appeals — Grounds — Mistaken assessment of the facts — Inadmissibility — Review by the Court of the findings of fact — Possible only where the clear sense of the evidence has been distorted — Assessment made by the General Court of the probative value of the statements of a leniency applicant — Issue of fact (Art. 81(1) EC; Art. 256 TFEU; Statute of the Court of Justice, Art. 58(1)) (see paras 45-47)

3.                     Appeals — Grounds — Necessity of a specific challenge to a point in the General Court’s reasoning (Art. 256 TFEU; Statute of the Court of Justice, Art. 58(1); Rules of Procedure of the Court of Justice, Art. 112(1)(1)(c)) (see para. 61)

4.                     Appeals — Grounds — Plea submitted for the first time in the context of the appeal — Inadmissibility (Rules of Procedure of the Court of Justice, Art. 113(2)) (see para. 65)

Re:

Appeal brought against the judgment of the General Court (Eighth Chamber) of 24 March 2011 in Case T-379/06

Kaimer and Others

v

Commission

, by which the General Court dismissed in part the appellants’ action for annulment of Commission Decision C(2006) 4180 final of 20 September 2006 relating to a proceeding under Article 81 of the EC Treaty and Article 53 of the EEA Agreement concerning a cartel in the copper and copper alloy fittings sector or, in the alternative, for a reduction in the fine imposed on the appellants — Distortion of the evidence — Error of assessment regarding the probative value of statements made in the context of the leniency policy — Infringement of Articles 6 and 47 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union

Operative part

The Court:

1.

Dismisses the appeal;

2.

Orders Kaimer GmbH & Co. Holding KG, Sanha Kaimer GmbH & Co. KG and Sanha Italia Srl to pay the costs.