Former NATO Procurement Official Indicted Over Military Contract Bribery Scheme

An indictment unsealed in Washington DC on 26 January 2026 has charged a former NATO procurement official and a Turkish defence contractor with operating a long running bribery scheme linked to US military and NATO construction contracts. The case underscores persistent corruption risks in defence procurement and the vulnerabilities created when insider access intersects with high value international contracts.

According to the US Department of Justice, Bahadir Hatipoglu, a Turkish national and owner of companies awarded NATO and US military construction work, allegedly bribed Ralf Grywnow, a former NATO procurement official, in exchange for preferential treatment. The alleged inducements went far beyond cash payments and included assistance with building and furnishing a house in Poland, as well as personal benefits provided during travel to Dubai.

Prosecutors allege that Grywnow abused his position within NATO procurement by supplying Hatipoglu with falsified performance reviews designed to favour his companies when bidding for US military contracts. He is also accused of providing confidential bid information and exercising improper influence over contract oversight, giving Hatipoglu an unfair competitive advantage over other bidders.

The charges highlight the complexity of modern defence procurement, where multinational alliances such as the North Atlantic Treaty Organization rely on cross border contracting and trust in internal governance frameworks. When those frameworks are compromised, the impact extends beyond financial loss to taxpayers, undermining confidence in military supply chains and allied cooperation.

Both defendants were arrested in Europe, with Hatipoglu detained in Lithuania and Grywnow in Poland, following the issuance of provisional arrest warrants. US authorities are now seeking their extradition. Each faces one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and four counts of wire fraud, carrying potential sentences of up to 20 years in prison per count if convicted.

The investigation is being led by the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General’s Defense Criminal Investigative Service, alongside the FBI, the Air Force Office of Special Investigations and the Department of the Army Criminal Investigation Division, with significant cooperation from Polish and Lithuanian authorities. The case illustrates the increasingly coordinated international response to corruption in defence and security contracting.

While the indictment remains an allegation and the defendants are presumed innocent, the case sends a clear signal that procurement corruption involving NATO and US military contracts will attract aggressive cross border enforcement. For defence contractors and procurement officials alike, it reinforces the need for robust controls, transparency and independent oversight across all stages of the contracting lifecycle.

Read the press release here.