GENENVA, Nov. 10 (Xinhua) -- Switzerland's highest court ruled on Friday that the German luxury carmaker BMW must pay a 157 million Swiss franc (158 million U.S. dollars) fine for uncompetitive activities.
The fine was originally levied on BMW by Switzerland's Competition Commission (COMCO) in May 2012 for preventing Swiss residents from buying BMW cars outside the European Economic Area (EEA), the Swiss news agency ATS reported.
This was prompted by the strong franc that lifted prices in Switzerland up to a quarter higher.
Due to the soaring of the currency when the complaint was laid, customers could have saved between 7,000 and 40,000 U.S. dollars, buying a BMW car in a neighboring country, depending on the car model purchased.
The EEA includes members of the European Union, as well as Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway, but Switzerland is not a member.
The decision by the Swiss Federal Court, upholds the 2015 ruling by Switzerland's Federal Administrative Court.
BMW had, however, appealed this decision.
Judges in Lausanne said that while the export ban had been arranged abroad, it had impacted on Switzerland.
COMCO deputy director Patrik Ducrey told Swiss public television SRF that the decision sent a clear message "that hindering parallel and direct imports is illegal according to the cartel law and can be punished."
The case originated in 2010 when a Swiss customer was prevented from buying a new car from an authorized BMW and MINI dealer outside Switzerland and complained to COMCO.
A week later, Swiss television, in a report on motor vehicle imports, stated that BMW prevented imports of vehicles of their brands into Switzerland.
By doing so it kept prices in Switzerland high.
