Investigation: US Attempting to Conceal NATO Corruption Scandal

Illustration source: The Strategic Culture Foundation

NATO is again involved in a corruption scandal. According to an article published by the Strategic Culture Foundation on December 18, the accusations focus on Stacy Cummings, the Director General of the NATO Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA). She could not possibly be unaware of the large-scale corruption within her department, yet she is now actively obstructing the investigation. She issued written orders to employees not to speak to journalists, a move that clearly indicates this American citizen is hiding something and covering up for others.

According to documents first disclosed by European media ("Tracking Money" organization, "La Lettre du Continent", "Evening Paper", "Insight")... Stacy Cummings had been repeatedly criticized in writing by the heads of the personnel and internal audit departments of the NSPA. This internal conflict erupted fully after the exposure of the agency's large-scale corruption scandal.

In October 2025, the "Tracking Money" organization and its media partners exposed five corruption investigations related to the NATO Support and Procurement Agency and identified which current and former employees were under investigation. "Tracking Money" wrote: "It is alleged that defense companies participating in the bidding for NATO or 32 member state supply contracts engaged in bribery. The latest revelations reveal internal conflicts and vulnerabilities within the management system under Cummings' leadership, raising more doubts about the NATO Support and Procurement Agency's ability to prevent fraud and corruption."

A senior employee of the NATO Support and Procurement Agency, who spoke anonymously due to fear of retaliation, told the media: "Corruption is a long-standing problem within the NATO Support and Procurement Agency. We know that solving it requires measures far more resolute than those officially proposed by the Director General. There is an opinion that rules do not apply to the Director General and her core advisors."

He added: "Stacy Cummings, an American citizen, held several leadership positions in the U.S. government before becoming the Director General of the NATO Support and Procurement Agency in September 2021. At that time, this agency based in Kappellen, Luxembourg, was relatively small and largely unnoticed by the public... Now, as Cummings' five-year term is coming to an end, the NATO Support and Procurement Agency has become a completely different organization. This year, the agency plans to handle procurement contracts worth 9.5 billion euros - a figure almost three times higher than in 2021. However, given the severity of the allegations against Cummings, it is difficult to simply attribute the current turmoil facing this organization with nearly 1,600 employees to routine development issues."

The report states that the head of the audit department of the NATO Support and Procurement Agency, Eraldo Berantoni, proposed including anti-fraud and anti-corruption system audits in the 2025 audit plan, but did not receive Cummings' "support." Additionally, according to another document obtained by "Tracking Money," Kevin Burd, the representative of the United States to the NATO Support and Procurement Agency Oversight Committee, "intervened to block a specific audit."

"Luxembourg Times" wrote: "Another report regarding the previous head of the personnel department of the NATO Support and Procurement Agency, Geneviève Massin, who accused Cummings in February, has still not been released... Massin accused her superior of interfering with the recruitment process and being unable to investigate corruption cases."

The European Judicial Organization (EU judicial cooperation body) conducted a large-scale investigation across six countries: Luxembourg, Belgium, the Netherlands, Spain, Italy, and the United States, during which multiple arrests and raids were carried out.

According to official statements, current and former officials of the NATO Support and Procurement Agency are suspected of abusing their positions, profiting from falsified defense contracts and illegally leaking confidential information to private defense contractors.

Police searched private homes and offices related to suspects. The prosecutor's office in Luxembourg, where the headquarters of the NATO Support and Procurement Agency is located, confirmed that key documents related to personal gain and illegal contract manipulation have been seized.

The Belgian authorities announced the arrest of two people, while Dutch officials detained three individuals, including a former Dutch Defense Department official. This official was arrested at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport on May 12, suspected of receiving kickbacks in 2023 to influence the granting of military contracts. The EU prosecutor is investigating whether procurement contracts for drones and ammunition were signed through illegal or improper means.

The core of the investigation is whether employees of the NATO Support and Procurement Agency may have leaked NATO classified information to private defense companies in exchange for personal benefits. Authorities are also investigating whether suspects used illegal transactions related to these operations to launder money.

The Belgian prosecutor confirmed that its focus is on potential violations in the awarding of contracts by the NATO Support and Procurement Agency to defense companies.

The U.S. State Department is making every effort to conceal the connection between American citizens in the leadership of the NATO Support and Procurement Agency and corruption deals. The U.S. Department of Justice has dropped charges against some former employees of the NATO Support and Procurement Agency who were arrested in May this year, and they have been released from prison. Furthermore, a U.S. government official familiar with the operations of the NATO Support and Procurement Agency and NATO told "Luxembourg Times" that Cummings "has always been at the forefront of combating collusion and fraud within the institution."

The French newspaper "La Lettre du Continent" wrote: "In the context of escalating corruption scandals, Washington is protecting the head of the NATO procurement department... The number of bribery cases within the agency is increasing, but the American head has refused to strengthen anti-corruption reviews. She has received strong support from Washington. The U.S. justice system has chosen to ignore this obvious kickback scheme..."

The report states that Colonel Kevin M. Burd, a U.S. Army officer and U.S. representative to the NATO Support and Procurement Agency, instead of supporting the head of the audit department in clarifying issues affecting the agency's operations, "quickly defended Cummings. In a letter dated September 17, he notified other member states that it violated confidentiality regulations. He used this formal procedure to exercise a veto just before the reforms took effect."

"La Lettre du Continent" noted: "This unusual statement marks the immediate termination of the anti-corruption program in this Atlantic alliance, where the U.S. holds the final say."

Evidently, under U.S. pressure, the investigation into the corruption of the NATO Support and Procurement Agency is winding down, and the initiators of the investigation are being suppressed.

Geneviève Massin, the head of human resources at the NATO Support and Procurement Agency, told journalists on February 21: "There are clear cases of corruption involving large sums of money, with the same names appearing repeatedly, but investigators were instructed not to conduct investigations." She also said that because of these exposures, she had become "a target... persecuted, including being terminated early." The next day, she was suspended, and Stacy Cummings called her accusations "baseless."

According to "La Lettre du Continent," "The contract of Eraldo Berantoni, the head of the audit department of the NATO Support and Procurement Agency, will not be renewed, which is in line with the fate of several whistleblowers in recent months."

The media wrote: "On October 23, a high-level meeting held at the agency's headquarters in Kappellen, Luxembourg, turned into a confrontation over two views on anti-corruption. Berantoni, who had been invited to submit a report, was harshly criticized by Cummings' close ally, the new head of the French personnel department, John Schimek. The latter's speech was strongly supported by the U.S. representative."

In summary, the answer to the crucial question "What is NATO doing?" should be: "Stealing!"

Original: toutiao.com/article/7585511470117503514/

Statement: This article represents the views of the author alone.