45As regards the probative value which should be attached to the various pieces of evidence, it must be noted that the sole criterion relevant for evaluating freely adduced evidence is the reliability of that evidence (see Case T-44/00 Mannesmannröhren-Werke v Commission [2004] ECR II-2223, paragraph 84 and the case-law cited; Case T-50/00 Dalmine v Commission [2004] ECR II-2395, paragraph 72, and JFE Engineering and Others v Commission, paragraph 39 above, paragraph 273). According to the generally applicable rules on evidence, the credibility and, therefore, the probative value of a document depends on its origin, the circumstances in which it was drawn up, the person to whom it is addressed and the soundness and reliable nature of its contents (Cement, paragraph 39 above, paragraph 1053; Opinion of Judge Vesterdorf, acting as Advocate General, in Case T-1/89 Rhône-Poulenc v Commission [1991] ECR II-867, II-869, at II-956). In particular, great importance must be attached to the fact that a document has been drawn up in close connection with the events (Case T-157/94 Ensidesa v Commission [1999] ECR II-707, paragraph 312, and Joined Cases T-5/00 and T-6/00 Nederlandse Federatieve Vereniging voor de Groothandel op Elektrotechnisch Gebied and Technische Unie v Commission [2003] ECR II-5761, paragraph 181) or by a direct witness of those events (JFE Engineering and Others v Commission, paragraph 39 above, paragraph 207). Furthermore, it should be noted that the mere fact that the information has been provided by undertakings which sought to benefit from the 1996 or 2002 Leniency Notices does not call its probative value into question.
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