Several people have been arrested as part of a major anti-corruption investigation involving a NATO agency, the judicial systems of Belgium, Luxembourg and NATO announced today.
"Thanks to an investigation launched by NATO's National Security and Procurement Agency (NSPA), judicial authorities in several countries have arrested several individuals accused of corruption in connection with contracts with the Alliance," a NATO spokeswoman told AFP on condition of anonymity.
The Belgian justice system said it had arrested two suspects, one of whom was detained and the other released after questioning.
"The investigation focuses on possible irregularities in the awarding of contracts to defense companies for the purchase of military equipment for NATO, such as ammunition and drones," the Belgian judicial authorities said in a statement.
Investigators suspect that several NSPA employees, both active and retired, provided confidential information to companies to help them secure contracts.
Luxembourg police, for their part, said they had carried out several searches in Luxembourg, where the NSPA headquarters are located, and seized "documents useful for establishing the truth," the local judicial system said in a statement.
"Belgian, Dutch, Italian, Spanish and American authorities carried out simultaneous operations that led to the arrest of the suspects," the statement added.
NATO, for its part, claims to be working in "close cooperation" with judicial authorities to bring those responsible to justice.
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