Chicago-based commodities trader Prime International Trading named the companies in a suit on Wednesday, accusing them of misreporting trades for the Brent oil benchmark.

It is seeking civil damages, arguing that it would have its conducted trades based on the inaccurate prices.

The EC is investigating whether the companies colluded to distort the benchmark of oil and other products by reporting distorted prices to agency Platts for more than a decade.

The Brent benchmark is used as the basis for trades and contracts for numerous products worldwide.

The EC said that small distortions to the benchmark could potentially have had a “huge impact” on prices paid by consumers at the petrol pumps.

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