Former German BND chief August Hanning arrested for high treason, linked to Romanian defence firm
August Hanning, the ex-head of Germany’s foreign intelligence service, was detained on suspicion of high treason for allegedly passing secrets to a former Soviet state. He had previously partnered with former Romanian defence official Andrei Ignat in a consultancy tied to the SAFE programme and the German firm Rheinmetall.
August Hanning, who led Germany’s Bundesnachrichtendienst from 1998 to 2005 and later worked as a state secretary in the Federal Ministry of the Interior, was taken into custody on suspicion of high treason for allegedly being paid to supply classified data to a former Soviet-era state. He had entered a consultancy partnership with Andrei Ignat, the former head of Romania’s Defence Ministry arm for armaments, during the period when the SAFE procurement programme was active in Romania, with the German defence contractor Rheinmetall identified as the main beneficiary.
The consultancy was linked to a company originally named RV & RV CONSTRUCT SRL, which, following a decision published in the Monitorul Oficial, changed its name to SC IDA International Defence Advisory SRL after its sole shareholder transferred all twenty shares to four persons, appointing Ignat as administrator. Ignat, born in 1981 and residing in Calafat, previously oversaw the armaments department from May 2018 to June 2019 and has raised concerns with the Military Prosecutor’s Office about the legality of a tender for four multifunctional corvettes, a contract previously awarded to France’s Naval Group.
Sources claim Ignat was removed from his post after interfering with the tender, allegedly under the protection of former PSD leader Liviu Dragnea. The investigation highlights potential corruption in high-value defence contracts and the involvement of a former senior intelligence official in illicit information trade.
Why it matters
The arrest of a former top intelligence chief for alleged espionage and his ties to defence procurement raise concerns about security breaches and corruption in European defence contracts.
How this story developed
- Oct 6 Former BND chief August Hanning detained over alleged secret document theft
- Oct 6 Arrests were carried out in Bad Tölz‑Wolfratshausen and Steinfurt.
- Oct 7 He was arrested in Steinfurt.
- Oct 7 Reports indicate a possible connection between the alleged espionage and Azerbaijan.
- Oct 7 Britain and Germany announced a new partnership to share intelligence and coordinate actions against sabotage and cyber attacks, citing a hybrid threat from Russia.
- Oct 7 A German court ordered both men to remain in custody while the investigation proceeds.
- Oct 8 The UK‑Germany security pact was signed, formalising cooperation against Russian hybrid threats.
- Oct 10 Prosecutors disclosed that Hanning allegedly met repeatedly with senior Chinese intelligence official Wang Jianzheng and passed classified material.
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