BRUSSELS, June 24 (Reuters) - The European Commission

said on Monday it had fined U.S. company International Flavors &

Fragrances ( IFF ) and its French affiliate 15.9 million

euros ($17.05 million) for obstructing an inspection in an

ongoing investigation of a suspected cartel in the supply of

fragrances and fragrance ingredients.

"The Commission found that during the inspection (in March

2023), a senior employee of IFF intentionally deleted WhatsApp

messages exchanged with a competitor," the Commission said.

"After the detection, IFF immediately acknowledged the facts

and proactively cooperated with the Commission during and after

the inspection. IFF cooperated by helping the Commission recover

the deleted data."

The investigation of a suspected fragrance cartel, which was

opened in March 2023 and also targets Swiss companies Givaudan

and Firmenich International as well as German player

Symrise, is ongoing, the Commission added.

The companies have said they are cooperating with

anti-cartel investigations - which are also being conducted in

other jurisdictions - without commenting further, although

Symrise has challenged the Commission's investigation in court.

($1 = 0.9327 euros)