UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,                       v. ELF ATOCHEM S.A.,                   Defendant.

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No. CR 02 - 0079SI INFORMATION VIOLATIONS: Title 15, United States Code, Section 1 (Price Fixing, Market- Share Allocation) San Francisco Venue

The United States of America, acting through its attorneys, charges:

COUNT ONE

1. ELF ATOCHEM S.A. ("ELF") is made a defendant on the charge stated below.

I.

2. Beginning in or about September 1995 and continuing until in or about August 1999, defendant ELF and its coconspirators entered into and engaged in a combination and conspiracy to suppress and eliminate competition by fixing the prices and allocating the market shares of monochloroacetic acid and sodium monochloroacetate (collectively referred to as "MCAA") to be sold in the United States and elsewhere. The combination and conspiracy engaged in by the defendant and its coconspirators was in unreasonable restraint of interstate and foreign trade and commerce in violation of Section 1 of the Sherman Act (15 U.S.C. § 1).

3. The charged combination and conspiracy consisted of a continuing agreement, understanding, and concert of action among the defendant and its coconspirators, the substantial terms of which were:

1. to agree to fix and maintain prices and to coordinate price increases for MCAA to be sold in the United States and elsewhere; and

2. to agree to allocate among major MCAA producers the market shares of MCAA to be sold by each in the United States and elsewhere.

4. For the purpose of forming and carrying out the charged combination and conspiracy, the defendant and its coconspirators did those things that they combined and conspired to do, including, among other things:

1. participating in meetings and conversations to discuss the prices and market shares of MCAA to be sold in the United States and elsewhere;

2. agreeing, during those meetings and conversations, to charge prices at certain levels and otherwise to increase and maintain prices of MCAA to be sold in the United States and elsewhere;

3. agreeing, during those meetings and conversations, to allocate among major producers of MCAA the market shares of MCAA to be sold in the United States and elsewhere;

4. issuing price announcements and price quotations in accordance with the agreements reached; and

5. exchanging information on sales of MCAA in the United States and elsewhere for the purpose of monitoring and enforcing adherence to the agreed-upon market shares.

5. ELF is a corporation organized and existing under the laws of France. During the period covered by this Count, ELF was engaged in the business of producing MCAA and selling it to customers in the United States and elsewhere.

6. Various corporations and individuals, not made defendants in this Count, participated as coconspirators in the offense charged in this Count and performed acts and made statements in furtherance of it.

7. Whenever in this Count reference is made to any act, deed, or transaction of any corporation, the allegation means that the corporation engaged in the act, deed, or transaction by or through its officers, directors, employees, agents, or other representatives while they were actively engaged in the management, direction, control, or transaction of its business or affairs.

III.

8. MCAA is a reactive chemical compound that is used to form a number of intermediate chemicals. Markets for MCAA and its derivatives include drilling fluids, plastic stabilizers, herbicides, and pharmaceuticals.

9. During the period covered by this Count, the defendant and its coconspirators sold and distributed MCAA in a continuous and uninterrupted flow of interstate and foreign trade and commerce to customers located in states or countries other than the states or countries in which the defendant and its coconspirators produced MCAA.

10. The business activities of the defendant and its coconspirators that are the subject of this Count were within the flow of, and substantially affected, interstate and foreign trade and commerce.

11. The combination and conspiracy charged in this Count was carried out within the five years preceding the filing of this Information.

COUNT TWO

12. Each and every allegation contained in Paragraphs 1, 6, 7, 10, and 11 is realleged and incorporated by reference as if fully set forth herein.

13. Beginning in or about August 1997 and continuing until in or about March 1998, defendant ELF and its coconspirators entered into and engaged in a combination and conspiracy to suppress and eliminate competition by fixing the prices of certain organic peroxides, specifically t-butyl perbenzoate and t-butyl peracetate dedicated to stryrene polymerization (ELF brands Luperox P and Luperox 7M50) ("the Specified OP Products") to be sold in the United States and elsewhere. The combination and conspiracy engaged in by the defendant and its coconspirators was in unreasonable restraint of interstate and foreign trade and commerce in violation of Section 1 of the Sherman Act (15 U.S.C. § 1).

14. The charged combination and conspiracy consisted of a continuing agreement, understanding, and concert of action among the defendant and its coconspirators, the substantial terms of which were to agree to fix and maintain prices and to coordinate price increases for the Specified OP Products to be sold in the United States and elsewhere.

15. For the purpose of forming and carrying out the charged combination and conspiracy, the defendant and its coconspirators did those things that they combined and conspired to do, including, among other things:

1. participating in conversations to discuss the prices of the Specified OP Products to be sold in the United States and elsewhere;

2. agreeing, during those conversations, to charge prices at certain levels and otherwise to increase and maintain prices of the Specified OP Products to be sold in the United States and elsewhere; and

3. issuing price announcements and price quotations in accordance with the agreement reached.

16. ELF is a corporation organized and existing under the laws of France. During the period covered by this Count, ELF, through its affiliates, was engaged in the business of producing the Specified OP Products and selling them to customers in the United States and elsewhere.

VII.

17. The Specified OP Products are essential chemical inputs used in the manufacture of certain polysytrene products, such as containers and packaging.

18. During the period covered by this Count, the defendant and its coconspirators sold and distributed the Specified OP Products in a continuous and uninterrupted flow of interstate and foreign trade and commerce to customers located in states or countries other than the states or countries in which the defendant and its coconspirators produced the Specified OP Products.

ALL IN VIOLATION OF TITLE 15, UNITED STATES CODE, SECTION 1.

Dated:

_______________/s/________________ Charles A. James Assistant Attorney General _______________/s/________________ James M. Griffin Deputy Assistant Attorney General _______________/s/________________ Scott D. Hammond Director of Criminal Enforcement United States Department of Justice Antitrust Division _______________/s/________________ David W. Shapiro United States Attorney Northern District of California

_______________/s/________________ Christopher S Crook Chief, San Francisco Office _______________/s/________________ Marc Siegel Lisa V. Tenorio Keslie Stewart Dana R. Wagner Dina Wong Attorneys U.S. Department of Justice Antitrust Division 450 Golden Gate Ave. Box 36046, Room 10-0101 San Francisco, CA 94102 (415) 436-6660