Frankfurt (Germany), 3 Sept. (LaPresse) – Estonian Defence Minister Hanno Pevkur has announced his resignation following allegations of irregularities in the management of the ministry’s resources and a scandal linked to a supply of ammunition intended for Ukraine that was never delivered. As reported by Politico, Pevkur, who had been in office since 2022, decided to step down following reports of a €70 million contract for artillery shells awarded by the ministry to a company registered in Italy and controlled by an Indian firm which, according to reports, had no previous experience in the sale of ammunition. The contract for the supply of ammunition, funded by the EU’s European Peace Facility, was awarded in 2024 to Datasel S.R.L., a company registered in Italy and owned by the Indian firm Neco Defence Munitions. Following the failure to deliver the shells, Estonia brought the case before the European Court of Arbitration. “I must today take political responsibility for the entire defence sector and hand over the role of Defence Minister to the Prime Minister at the appropriate time,” Pevkur stated on social media. The resignation also comes after the Estonian National Audit Office identified “serious problems” last month regarding the use of funds and the accounting of assets at the Ministry of Defence, raising criticisms similar to those made the previous year.
Estonia: Defence Minister resigns over ‘ghost ammunition’ scandal involving an Italian company
Frankfurt (Germany), 3 Sept. (LaPresse) – Estonian Defence Minister Hanno Pevkur has announced his resignation following allegations of irregularities in the management of the ministry’s resources and a scandal linked to a supply of ammunition intended for Ukraine that was never delivered. As reported by Politico, Pevkur, who had been in office since 2022, decided to step down following reports of a €70 million contract for artillery shells awarded by the ministry to a company registered in Italy and controlled by an Indian firm which, according to reports, had no previous experience in the sale of ammunition. The contract for the supply of ammunition, funded by the EU’s European Peace Facility, was awarded in 2024 to Datasel S.R.L., a company registered in Italy and owned by the Indian firm Neco Defence Munitions. Following the failure to deliver the shells, Estonia brought the case before the European Court of Arbitration. “I must today take political responsibility for the entire defence sector and hand over the role of Defence Minister to the Prime Minister at the appropriate time,” Pevkur stated on social media. The resignation also comes after the Estonian National Audit Office identified “serious problems” last month regarding the use of funds and the accounting of assets at the Ministry of Defence, raising criticisms similar to those made the previous year.