Competition watchdog given wide new powers Confirming the two bodies were to merge, the Government surprised industry experts by the level of change it was promoting. Under new rules prosecutors will not have to prove "dishonest participation" in criminal cartels before an offence is committed. The change should make it much easier to pursue prosecutions that in many cases have eluded the regualtors. Luke Tolaini, anti-trust partner at Clifford Chance, said: "This is widening the goalposts in the hope that the OFT's scoring record in criminal cases will improve. It does not seem quite right to do that when the OFT has not yet brought a single case before a jury. Despite the negative sentiment, the long-awaited move to integrate the two bodies was welcomed in some quarters. Gustaf Duhs, head of competition at law firm Stevens & Bolton said: "The reforms are likely to improve the effectiveness of the regime in the UK, which in some respects might be viewed as ready for an overhaul given a dwindling number of investigations and some recent high profile setbacks." The main changes include encouraging companies to engage with what will be the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) on mergers while still at the planning stage. Another widely mooted change, handing censuring powers to a separate tribunal, has not been adopted. Instead the CMA will continue to investigate suspected breaches of market or competition law and decide on punishments. The OFT also confirmed today it was to change aspects of its decision-making structure and improve communication with companies it was investigating. The creation of the CMA is expected to be completed by April 2014.