Sotheby's faces the possibility of steep fines and dozens of lawsuits alleging that the company colluded with its archrival Christie's to fix the prices it charges buyers and sellers.

Both AT&T and Verizon stated quite plainly in their testimony that neither company colluded to raise prices.

Price fixing, where companies collude to set prices, effectively dismantling the free market.

The commission said the companies colluded on pricing in Belgium, Germany, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Spain over the last 20 years.

He said that if the companies colluded to restrain trade deliberately, they could be "in violation of the laws of this country."

The carting companies will also be required to sign oaths swearing that they have not and will not collude with other companies to rig prices, Mr. Spano said.

The critics say the companies collude with repressive regimes, like the one here, to crack down on insurgents who threaten the daily production of crude, or to clear oil areas of unwanted inhabitants.

The Government is conducting an antitrust inquiry into whether the companies illegally colluded to raise gas prices in the wake of Iraq's invasion of Kuwait.

The EC is probing allegations the companies colluded to rig prices for more than a decade.

The companies colluded to keep the prices on their goods and services high.