UAE: Arms laundering allegations

The UAE has been accused of playing a key part in attempts to by-pass European Union arms export controls, following an investigation by the Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP). In 2015 and 2016, buyers in Uganda and Burundi agreed to purchase 59 amphibious armoured patrol vehicles from Ukrainian state-owned firm Ukrinmash. However, at least 45 of the vehicles, worth a total of $4.1m, originated in Poland and were sent to their final destination via the UAE, in what the OCCRP describes as “an extensive weapons laundering scheme.”