292Moreover, it is necessary to disregard the applicant’s argument that the author of the HBG note never attended a cartel meeting, since the Courts of the European Union have held that the fact that information is reported second hand has no influence on its probative value (Case T-11/89 Shell v Commission [1992] ECR II-757, paragraph 86) and that, under the general rules of evidence, the fact that documents drawn up immediately after the meetings concerned and clearly without any thought for the fact that they might fall into the hands of third parties must be regarded as having great significance (Opinion of Judge Vesterdorf acting as Advocate General in Case T-1/89 Rhône-Poulenc v Commission [1991] ECR II-867, II-869). In the present case, the author of the HBG note was responsible for purchasing bitumen for HBG and worked closely with the person who participated directly in the consultations with the W5, and then in the cartel meetings. Accordingly, his notes drafted at the time of the facts have significant probative value.
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