On March 11, 2024, three individuals were detained on the territory of the Republic of Finland on suspicion of laundering funds from the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine during the purchase of personal protective equipment amounting to 5.7 million euros. A property owned by one of the detained Finnish citizens has been seized.
This became possible due to the joint efforts of detectives from the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU), the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAP), and the employees of the National Bureau of Investigation of the Republic of Finland within the framework of the mechanism of international legal assistance in the relevant criminal proceedings.
Among the detained individuals is a representative of a private company that failed to deliver 50% of the purchased and fully paid body armor to the Ministry of Defense. The detained individuals used part of these funds to purchase luxury cars and real estate.
The evidence collected will be used by NABU detectives in their own criminal proceedings regarding the misappropriation of funds from the Ministry of Defense during the purchase of body armor. Measures are being taken to ensure the reimbursement of damages caused.