By way of derogation, in order to ensure that the protection from sanctions to be imposed on individuals in criminal proceedings is in conformity with the existing basic principles of their legal system, Member States might provide that the competent authorities are able to choose between protecting the individual from sanctions or only mitigating those sanctions, depending on the outcome of weighing the interest in prosecuting and/or sanctioning the individual against the individual's contribution to the detection and investigation of the cartel.
De mhaolú air sin, ionas gur féidir a áirithiú go bhfuil an chosaint ar smachtbhannaí atá le forchur ar dhaoine aonair in imeachtaí cóiriúla i gcomhréir le bunphrionsabail a gcórais dlí, d'fhéadfadh na Ballstáit foráil a dhéanamh go bhfuil na húdaráis inniúla in ann rogha a dhéanamh idir cosaint ar smachtbhannaí nó na smachtbhannaí a mhaolú amháin agus an leas maidir leis na daoine aonair sin a ionchúiseamh agus/nó smachtbhannaí a chur ar an duine aonair agus rannchuidiú an duine aonair ó thaobh an cairtéal a bhrath agus a imscrúdú a chur sa mheá.