The Office of Fair Trading has named 112 construction firms involved in a price-fixing conspiracy. What a surprise! Let's all raise our hands to the heavens and gasp in disbelief. The fraudsters, IF prosecuted, will be fined, or their companies will.
This sort of skullduggery has been going on since time immemorial, and everybody knows it. I remember "Construction News" exposing price-fixing among the big contractors back in the late sixties or early seventies. Nothing was done about it. The problem is that if the authorities started to diligently prosecute every corporate criminal the economy would collapse. Public confidence would be shaken; by which I mean the apathy that is the normal response to such revelations might be replaced by public outrage and a demand for a cleansing of the Augean Stables. Imagine it - all those MPs, councillors and public servants having to hand back all the bribes. Imagine them having to pay for their own holidays, dinners, booze and whores.
Among this band of thieves the name of Balfour Beatty stands out. I wonder, are their executives still fugitives from justice in the United States? I never learned the outcome of that little contretemps.
Being old enough to remember the Ferranti Scandal I'm well versed in the way these difficulties are handled. We'll soon be reading stories in the press about how the DFT has over-reacted, and how much these people have done for the British economy. Don't they deserve a little tolerance? Usually "a few bad apples" are identified and dumped. Should any of the malefactors end up in court doctor's notes will be produced and incurable diseases will strike the defendants down (temporarily).
Later some of these lovable rogues will feature on the various honours lists. The rich and powerful can always find it in their hearts to forgive the rich and powerful.

"Our problem is that people are obedient while the jails are full of petty thieves, and all the while the grand thieves are running the country." (Howard Zinn). Howard underestimated. The grand thieves are the masters of the universe.