Five people have been arrested in Norway, while searches were carried out at businesses and private residences in Germany and Romania as part of an international investigation into alleged fraud and bribery 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). The investigation concerns a company and its associated subcontractors, which are suspected of submitting false or misleading invoices for support services provided to ships and their crews while docked at ports in northwestern Europe.

These services involved onshore work and activities stipulated in the relevant contracts for servicing the vessels and their personnel. According to Eurojust’s estimates, the financial damage suffered by NATO member states amounts to approximately €1 million, although the full extent of the alleged fraud has yet to be established.

Allegations of Bribery of Officials

The company at the center of the investigation is also accused of using an intermediary to bribe public officials in an effort to secure favorable treatment from the NATO Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA).

The agency’s mission is to help the Alliance’s 32 member states, as well as partner countries, procure defense equipment, security systems and other support services. NATO, as an organization, does not own its own ships, tanks or weapons systems, since military equipment belongs to its member states.

Searches 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 searched the company’s premises in Romania, as well as several private residences.

In Germany, searches focused on two businesses and one private residence, as the relevant authorities sought to gather evidence relating to suspicious financial transactions and the alleged bribery.

The total amount of the financial damage remains under investigation. So far, no further details have been made public regarding the identities of those arrested or the officials allegedly involved in the case.