Five Arrested in €1 Million NATO Procurement Fraud Investigation Across Europe
Five arrested in Norway as Eurojust coordinates a NATO procurement fraud investigation involving suspected bribery and searches in Romania and Germany.
Five people have been arrested in Norway as part of an international investigation into suspected fraud and bribery involving contracts for services supplied to NATO military vessels. Authorities also conducted coordinated searches in Romania and Germany on October 14, according to Eurojust.
The investigation concerns a company and its subcontractors suspected of submitting fraudulent invoices to the NATO Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA), the alliance's principal logistics and procurement organization.
According to Eurojust, the alleged fraud involved shore-based support services provided to military vessels during port visits in northwestern Europe. These services, known as husbandry services, include logistical assistance for ships and their crews.
Investigators estimate that NATO member countries may have suffered financial losses exceeding €1 million. The precise amount remains under investigation.
Arrests in Norway, Searches in Romania and Germany
Norway's economic crime authority, Økokrim, arrested five individuals in the Bergen area on suspicion of aggravated fraud or complicity in fraud. Norwegian authorities said the suspected overbilling concerned services supplied to NATO vessels in Norwegian ports between 2021 and 2025.
Romania's National Anticorruption Directorate (DNA) conducted searches at a company's premises and several residential properties. In Germany, prosecutors and police in Hamburg searched two businesses and one residence under a European Investigation Order.
The investigation also covers allegations that the company used an intermediary to bribe foreign public officials in exchange for favorable treatment in its contractual dealings with the NSPA.
Eurojust began supporting the investigation in April 2025. A joint investigation team involving Norway, Romania and the United Kingdom was established in July 2025 to facilitate the exchange of evidence and coordinate judicial proceedings.
The NSPA provided information that helped investigators prepare the coordinated operation.
The company under investigation has not been publicly identified. No convictions have been announced, and the allegations remain subject to ongoing criminal proceedings.
Sources: Eurojust, October 14, 2026; Norwegian National Authority for Investigation and Prosecution of Economic and Environmental Crime (Økokrim), October 14, 2026.
