France–Ukraine inquiry into faulty army body armour: over €53 million in losses
French and Ukrainian authorities searched property in France in a corruption investigation involving 67,000 substandard body armour vests for Ukraine’s armed forces. Eurojust said on 29 October that the procurement caused losses exceeding €53 million.
Ukraine paid the supplier the full purchase price in advance. After delivery, an independent examination found the vests were poor quality and did not provide the declared protection level. The investigation concerns, among others, a former Defence Ministry official who headed the department developing material support.
The former official allegedly helped conclude the supplier contract in March 2022 and received money for doing so. Investigators suspect those funds were invested through another person in real estate in Nice. During the joint action day, the property and several bank accounts belonging to individuals allegedly involved were seized.
Eurojust coordinated French–Ukrainian cooperation and assisted execution of Ukrainian mutual legal assistance requests to France. Ukrainian investigators joined the operation and supported the questioning of suspects and witnesses. The authorities are now examining evidence secured during the searches.









































