Israeli defence company Elbit has been suspended by Nato from bidding for new tenders amid a wide-ranging corruption investigation, documents obtained by French, Dutch and Belgian media show.
Defence firms are alleged to have paid millions of euros to help secure contracts. Elbit, Israel's biggest defence company, is thought to have sold at least €50 million in ammunitions to Nato allies over the past decade. It has also provided services for amounts that have not been disclosed.
This decision may disrupt the supply of several Nato armies. “Affected contracts include ammunition for truck-mounted howitzers, mobile rocket artillery systems, and defence systems for military aircraft and helicopters,” wrote the investigative website Follow the Money, which reported on the suspension alongside La Lettre and the Belgian newspapers Le Soir and Knack.
“Elbit also equipped the fleet of Airbus MRTT [Multi Role Tanker Transport] tanker aircraft of eight Nato countries, including Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium and Denmark, a huge programme awarded in 2023 worth tens of millions of dollars,” wrote La Lettre.
'Serious allegations'
A letter dated July 31 and written by a manager at the alliance's Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA) described “serious allegations” indicating “suppliers engaged in sanctionable practices, including irre
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