In January 2007 Siemens was fined €396 million over its role in a collusion scandal. The European Commission handed out a massive €750 million in fines to Siemens, Alstom, Areva, Schneider Electric and Japanese firms Fuji Electric, Hitachi, Mitsubishi Electric, Toshiba and Japan AE Systems. Switzerland's ABB Group was a whistleblower and escaped without any fine from the commission. Regulators found that the companies rigged bids for contracts and fixed prices in the market for gas-insulated switchgear – equipment is used to control the flow of energy in electricity grids. Siemens' fine was the biggest of the companies involved because it was a ringleader, the Commission said. About 30 business premises and private homes were searched as part of the investigation.