Romania Investigates Case Involving Dual-Use Goods Supplied to Belarus in Sanctions Evasion Scheme

Reform.news Editorial Team · 30 September 2026, 11:25

https://reform.news/en/romania-investigates-case-involving-dual-use-goods-supplied-to-belarus-in-sanctions-evasion-scheme/

Romania’s Directorate for Investigating Organized Crime and Terrorism (DIICOT) is investigating a criminal case involving sanctions evasion and the supply of dual-use goods to Belarus.

On September 30, DIICOT prosecutors and officers from the Directorate for Combating Organized Crime conducted 12 searches at residential properties in Bucharest and other cities. There are eight suspects in the case. They are being questioned at DIICOT’s central office.

“The investigation conducted so far has established that, between December 2025 and September 2026, several individuals may have engaged in commercial and technical activities related to the production, sale and transfer of dual-use industrial equipment, which could be used for both civilian purposes and the manufacture of military equipment,” DIICOT reports.

The equipment in question is a VL40 vertical lathe worth approximately €1.75 million. Investigators believe attempts were made to transfer the equipment through intermediaries in third countries, with an organization in Belarus as the ultimate recipient. Attempts to obtain export permits were also identified, and the operations continued after the applications were rejected.

It was also established that hardware and software components had been integrated into the equipment and its technical specifications modified, allowing it to be used to manufacture military products.