By Kevin Akor
WASHINGTON (chatnewstv.com) — U.S. prosecutors have charged a former NATO procurement official and a Turkish defense contractor in what authorities describe as a yearslong bribery scheme involving construction contracts with the U.S. military and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.
An indictment unsealed last weeeekend in federal court in Washington accuses Bahadir Hatipoglu, a Turkish national, and Ralf Grywnow, a German national, of conspiring to corrupt the military procurement process through bribes and fraudulent contract reviews, the Justice Department said Monday.
“These defendants allegedly engaged in a years-long bribery scheme that tainted construction contracts with the U.S. military and our allies,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division.
“Integrity in federal contracting is vital to ensuring a fair competitive process and protecting the public fisc.”
According to the indictment, Hatipoglu, 50, who lives near Klaipėda, Lithuania, owned companies that received NATO and U.S. military construction contracts. Grywnow, 70, who lives in Zagnańsk, Poland, previously worked as a NATO procurement official.
Prosecutors allege Hatipoglu bribed Grywnow with cash, paid for a romantic encounter with a woman in Dubai and helped finance the construction and furnishing of Grywnow’s home in Poland. In return, Grywnow allegedly provided falsified performance reviews that favored Hatipoglu’s companies, offered preferential treatment in overseeing contracts and shared confidential information related to NATO construction bids.
“With a global reach and formidable enforcement tools, the Defense Criminal Investigative Service and its partner agencies are committed to pursuing those who exploit the American taxpayer,” said Stanley A. Newell, special agent in charge of the Defense Criminal Investigative Service’s Transnational Operations Field Office.
“We are dedicated to protecting the integrity of the U.S. military procurement system.”
Steven Ausfeldt, special agent in charge of the Army Criminal Investigation Division’s Europe Field Office, said the case reflects broad cooperation among U.S. and international agencies.
“Our collaboration underscores our shared commitment to combat corruption in all its forms,” he said.
The FBI said the alleged scheme imposed unnecessary costs on U.S. taxpayers. “The FBI will work tirelessly to hold the individuals who engage in this type of corruption accountable, no matter where they are,” said Mark Remily, acting assistant director of the bureau’s Criminal Division.
Hatipoglu and Grywnow were arrested in Lithuania and Poland under provisional arrest warrants. The Justice Department said it is working with authorities in both countries to extradite the men to the United States.
Each defendant is charged with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and four counts of wire fraud. If convicted, they each face up to 20 years in prison on each count.
The investigation involves the Defense Criminal Investigative Service, the Air Force Office of Special Investigations, the Army Criminal Investigation Division and the FBI, with assistance from Polish and Lithuanian authorities.
An indictment is an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
