Five people were arrested in Norway, while searches were conducted at businesses and residences in Germany and Romania, as part of an international investigation into a fraud and bribery case linked to service contracts for ships participating in NATO missions.
According to a statement from Eurojust, the European Union Agency for Criminal
Justice Cooperation, the arrests and searches took place on Wednesday (October 14) and involve a company and its affiliated subcontractors, who are alleged to have submitted falsified or misleading invoices for support services provided to ships and their crews while they were docked at ports in northwestern Europe.
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These services involved shore-based work and activities provided for in the relevant contracts for the servicing of the ships and their crews. According to Eurojust’s estimates, the financial loss suffered by NATO member states amounts to approximately one million euros; however, the full extent of the alleged fraud has not yet been determined.
Allegations of Bribery of Officials
Meanwhile, the company at the center of the investigation is accused of using intermediaries to bribe public officials, with the aim of securing favorable treatment from the NATO Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA).
This agency’s mission is to assist the Alliance’s 32 member states, as well as partner countries, in procuring defense equipment, security systems, and other support services. NATO, as an organization, does not own its own ships, tanks, or weapons systems, as military equipment belongs to its member states.
Investigations in Romania and Germany
Eurojust has not disclosed the identity of the company at the center of the case. However, according to its statement, authorities conducted searches at the company’s facilities in Romania, as well as at several private residences.
In Germany, the searches focused on two businesses and one residence, as part of the competent authorities’ effort to gather evidence regarding the suspicious financial transactions and alleged bribery.
The total amount of financial damage remains under investigation, while no further details have been released so far regarding the identities of those arrested or the officials allegedly involved in the case.
Source: protothema
