Probe into alleged NATO defence contract irregularities

There are tensions within the North Atlantic Treaty Alliance (NATO) as a vast investigation into suspected irregularities in the agency’s awarding of arms contracts continues.

Three Belgian media, together with a Dutch investigative website, found that several former and current NATO employees are accused of accepting bribes between 2021 and 2025.

This involved contracts issued by the NATO Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA) which manages multi-billion euro defence purchases on behalf of the alliance’s 32 member states.

La Lettre, Le Soir, Knack, and Follow the Money said the men allegedly received tens of thousands of euros for passing confidential information to defence firms seeking to secure lucrative contracts.

At least three people were arrested in May as part of an investigation into the alleged corruption at the Luxembourg-based NSPA.

At the time, an operation dubbed “Clean Hands” was initiated with participation by several agencies including the NSPA, the FBI, and the European judicial agency.

These investigations are ongoing.

NATO on Monday reaffirmed its zero-tolerance policy toward fraud and corruption, stressing its commitment to transparency.