ST.-PETERSBURG, March 6 - RAPSI. The Supreme Commercial Court has sided with the antimonopoly watchdog in its request to open a case against St. Petersburg government over violations of antitrust laws, the court reports on its website.

The dispute stems from the city government's resolution dated March 23, 2010, to permit the Strong company to lease two land plots for design and survey works with a view to determine their feasibility for building a shopping center. The watchdog maintains that the authorities ignored similar investment bids from two other companies wishing to lease the same sites for building retail premises. Therefore, the government was ordered to reverse the disputed resolution and hold bidding for land leasing.

The municipal authorities turned to the St. Petersburg Commercial Court and it did not find any antitrust law violations in their conduct as land leasing for survey to one investor did not limit the rights of other investors to lease the same sities for construction.