Patria AMW: Trial on corruption in Slovenian tank deal

This report is part of our former „Harmful Cases“ documentation, where we continuously and concisely recorded human rights violations, violations of international law or environmental destruction caused by companies.

Corruption in Slovenia

A tank deal contracted in 2006 has evolved into several court procedures in different EU countries on the grounds of bribery and the formation of a criminal organization. At the centre of the issue is the competition of two defense companies for a deal with the Slovenian army with a total trade volume of 278 million euro. The companies involved are the Slovenian enterprise Sistemska tehnika and the Finnish tank producer Patria AMW.  The decision in favor of Patria is allegedly based on bribes aimed at outrival the Slovenian competitor.

The accused are the defense industry lobbyist Hans Wolfgang Riedl and the Austro-Canadian entrepreneur Walter Wolf. They face several charges concerning the obscure tank deal and the supply of 135 light wheeled tanks.

For further information, please consult the following:

Vienna Online (de)

Wirtschaftsblatt (de)

Slovenian Press Agency

ZEIT.de (de)