2026-04-23 18:21
publication
2026-04-23 18:21
On Thursday, the Norwegian anti-corruption service Oekokrim detained three people from the management of the state agency Forsvarsmateriell (FMA), responsible for purchases for the army, on charges of serious financial abuse. This is the second corruption scandal recently revealed in the Norwegian defense sector.
According to the official statement, those detained are the agency's director and two department heads at FMA, the agency responsible for most of the purchases of weapons, equipment and services for the Norwegian army.
Investigators announced that the detainees were suspected of serious financial abuses and violations of public procurement regulations. The case concerns the purchase of consulting services, under which the detainees were to illegally increase their hourly rates by 35%. above the level resulting from the offer.
This year, FMA is supervising expenditures worth approximately 34 billion crowns (nearly PLN 12 billion) intended for new material investments. The agency also plays a key role in the military part of the Nansen program, from which Oslo is financing aid to Ukraine this year with a total value of 85 billion crowns (approximately PLN 31 billion), including 70 billion crowns (approximately PLN 25 billion) for military purposes.
On April 14, Oekokrim announced that two people had been charged in another case regarding a contract implemented under the Norwegian support program for Ukraine. It was about ordering materials for Kiev financed by the government in Oslo. This was the first detention case revealed by Oekokrim related to corruption allegations related to the implementation of Norwegian aid to Ukraine.
On Wednesday, Oekokrim chief Paal Loenseth publicly warned that rapid increases in military spending and time pressure on purchases increase the risk of corruption and other abuses in the defense sector. Thursday's arrests took place several hours after this statement.
From Oslo Mieszko Czarnecki (PAP)
mcz/fit/
