Finland's police have begun an investigation into suspected bribery by Finnish defence contractor Patria in its business dealings in Croatia based on the findings of a similar investigation into the company's operations in Slovenia, Finnish officials said on Monday, after which the Croatian Ministry of the Interior confirmed that a criminal inquiry was under way.
"The police are conducting a criminal inquiry in coordination with the USKOK (Office for the Prevention of Corruption and Organised Crime) in connection with alleged irregularities in a purchase of armoured vehicles for the Ministry of Defence," the Ministry of the Interior said in a statement. It did not reveal any other details, citing the Criminal Procedure Act.
The Finnish National Bureau of Investigation said that the police suspected that money had been given to state officials and decision-makers in 2007 when Patria sold to Croatia 84 armoured vehicles for 112 million euros, Serbian news agency Beta said.
Finnish chief investigator Kaj Bjorkqvist would not discuss details because Patria's business dealings in Croatia and Slovenia were still being investigated, according to Austrian news agency APA.
Bjorkqvist, however, confirmed that the National Bureau of Investigation had opened an investigation into suspected corruption in Croatia after Patria allegedly bribed politicians in Slovenia in 2006 in concluding a deal worth 280 million euros. He added that more details would be available after the investigation, according to Beta.
APA said that in the probe of Patria's business dealings in Slovenia attention was focused on Vienna's Schwechat airport because the money intended to be used for bribery in Slovenia was to have been transferred by a Thai businessman by plane from Vienna to Slovenia. For that reason Finland has asked Thailand for assistance.
Patria allegedly paid 8.1 million euros in bribes to Slovenian officials for the sale of 135 Finnish tanks, worth 278 million euros, to the Slovenian military. In Slovenia, under investigation are former prime minister Janez Jansa, former defence minister Karl Erjavec and former army commander Albin Gutman.
According to APA, also suspected are several Finnish managers of Patria, two Austrians, Austrian Canadian businessman Walter Wolf, and Hans Wolfgang Riedl, former CEO of the rival bidder Steyr-Daaimler-Puch Spezialfahrzeuge of Austria, who later became Patria's adviser on Eastern Europe.
APA said that some of the people suspected of bribery in the Slovenia case might also be suspected of bribery in the Croatia case.
