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Corruption at NATO: rigged ammunition and fuel contracts

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Corruption at NATO: rigged ammunition and fuel contracts

From Lugano to Luxembourg, via Brussels, Frankfurt and Washington, our investigation reveals the murky role of former NATO military personnel who have become consultants. In partnership with Belgian newspapers Le Soir and Knack and Dutch news site Follow the Money, La Lettre lifts the veil on a system of kickbacks linked to NATO's awarding of several contracts worth over $100 million.

Corruption at NATO: rigged ammunition and fuel contracts

NATO corruption: audit chiefs sound the alarm

Two reports by Alliance auditors have identified serious failings at the top of the NATO Support and Procurement Agency, as several former officials and intermediaries face criminal corruption investigations. The head of the anti-fraud investigation team has announced his resignation after coming under intense pressure within the agency, which is run by US national Stacy Cummings.

Stacy Cummings, Director General of the NATO Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA) at NATO Headquarters in Brussels, Belgium on January 23, 2024.
Accès libre English Corner 10.06.2026
Stacy Cummings, Director General of the NATO Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA) at NATO Headquarters in Brussels, Belgium on January 23, 2024.

NATO suspends top Spanish arms firm over "irregularities"

The alliance's procurement arm suspended Fábrica de Municiones de Granada last summer over suspected irregularities in ammunition contracts, according to an investigation by La Lettre and its partners. Its owner, the giant Czechoslovak Group, did not deem it necessary to disclose this awkward fact at the time of its spectacular stock market flotation in January.

Michal Strnad, chairman of Czechoslovak Group, parent company of Fábrica de Municiones de Granada.
Accès libre English Corner 10.03.2026
Michal Strnad, chairman of Czechoslovak Group, parent company of Fábrica de Municiones de Granada.

NATO corruption: Europeans show red card to procurement agency's American boss

France, Norway and Belgium have formally challenged the leadership of NATO's Support and Procurement Agency, marking an unprecedented rebuke of its American General Manager amid mounting corruption allegations and investigations.

Mark Rutte, Stacy Cummings and Bob Reddington.
Accès libre English Corner 05.02.2026
Mark Rutte, Stacy Cummings and Bob Reddington.

Stacy Cummings fights for survival at NATO agency as European anger mounts

The appointment of Johann Schimek as HR director of the Alliance's Support and Procurement Agency is facing pushback from several member states that question the Frenchman's credentials. Inside an agency scarred by corruption and favouritism, the dispute has become a defining test for its American director general.

Johann Schimek and Stacy Cummings.
Accès libre English Corner 23.01.2026
Johann Schimek and Stacy Cummings.

'Confidential' contractor payment fuels NATO procurement scandal

NATO's procurement agency approved a "confidential" financial arrangement that allowed the brother of its current director Orhan Muratli to get paid for contracting work outside the usual procedures. Muratli's department is at the heart of corruption investigations and arrests rocking the military alliance for the past year.

Vedat Muratli and Orhan Muratli, next to a view of the American base in Bagram.
Accès libre English Corner 05.01.2026
Vedat Muratli and Orhan Muratli, next to a view of the American base in Bagram.

Corruption at NATO: prosecutors probe suspect contracts won by Israeli giant Elbit

La Lettre and its media partners can reveal the list of programmes suspended by NATO due to "fraudulent activities". Contracts awarded to Israeli defence firm Elbit Systems are at the heart of a probe coordinated by the Belgian federal prosecutor's office.

The NATO headquarters, an H225M helicopter, the Portuguese frigate Bartolomeu Dias and an Embraer C-390 aircraft.
Accès libre English Corner 08.12.2025
The NATO headquarters, an H225M helicopter, the Portuguese frigate Bartolomeu Dias and an Embraer C-390 aircraft.

Corruption at NATO: NSPA chief uses attack as defence tactic

As scrutiny of allegedly corrupt NATO contracts intensifies, the Alliance's procurement agency boss Stacy Cummings has launched an aggressive counter-offensive: ordering representatives of member states to keep quiet, accusing them of leaks, and trying to seize control of communications.

NSPA General Manager Stacy Cummings.
Accès libre English Corner 28.11.2025
NSPA General Manager Stacy Cummings.

Washington shields NATO procurement chief as corruption scandals mount

La Lettre and its media partners are publishing a damning report on Stacy Cummings, the head of the NSPA, the NATO agency responsible for major arms contracts. Bribery cases are on the rise within the agency, but its American boss has refused to beef up anti-corruption audits.

Stacy Cummings, Mark Rutte, Donald Trump, Gerardo Bellantone, Geneviève Machin.
Accès libre English Corner 21.11.2025
Stacy Cummings, Mark Rutte, Donald Trump, Gerardo Bellantone, Geneviève Machin.

Corruption at NATO: the Alliance silences its whistleblowers (3/3)

La Lettre and its media partners reveal a series of corruption cases at NATO Support and Procurement Agency. Far from promoting transparency, NSPA management has restricted audits and dismissed whistleblowers. A reform launched by Secretary General Mark Rutte could further shrink state control over the organisation.

Épisode 3 Below, from left to right: Ismail Terlemez, Arca Defense CEO, Stacy Cummings and Mark Rutte; above: Donald Trump and Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
Accès libre 22.10.2025
Épisode 3 Below, from left to right: Ismail Terlemez, Arca Defense CEO, Stacy Cummings and Mark Rutte; above: Donald Trump and Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

Corruption at NATO: cash-stuffed envelopes for fuel contracts (2/3)

La Lettre and its partners have revealed criminal networks targeting contracts awarded by NATO Support and Procurement Agency, the NSPA. The bosses of a Greek marine fuel supplier gave cash-stuffed envelopes to a NATO employee in a bid to win a multi-million-euro contract.

Épisode 2 Below, from left to right: Ismail Terlemez, Arca Defense CEO, Stacy Cummings and Mark Rutte; above: Donald Trump and Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
Accès libre 20.10.2025
Épisode 2 Below, from left to right: Ismail Terlemez, Arca Defense CEO, Stacy Cummings and Mark Rutte; above: Donald Trump and Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

Kickbacks and collusion: inside NATO's rigged arms contracts (1/3)

La Lettre and its partners have been investigating the networks of former military personnel involved in contracts issued by NATO Support and Procurement Agency. Alliance employees and consultants are suspected of having received millions of euros in kickbacks on purchases of explosives and drones.

Épisode 1 Below, from left to right: Ismail Terlemez, Arca Defense CEO, Stacy Cummings and Mark Rutte; above: Donald Trump and Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
Accès libre 20.10.2025
Épisode 1 Below, from left to right: Ismail Terlemez, Arca Defense CEO, Stacy Cummings and Mark Rutte; above: Donald Trump and Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

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