Ex-army officer accused of 'rules breach' in Israeli firm's bid for $2bn UK contract
A former British army officer is alleged to have breached Ministry of Defence rules by sharing information with Elbit Systems UK, a subsidiary of Israel's largest arms manufacturer, as it prepared to bid for a £2 billion government defense contract.
LONDON: A former British army officer shared information with a subsidiary of Israel’s largest arms manufacturer as it prepared to bid for a £2 billion government defense contract, The Times newspaper reported.
Brig. Philip Kimber attended meetings at Elbit Systems UK in the weeks after he left the army, according to a dossier sent to the Ministry of Defence (MoD) by a whistleblower and seen by The Times.
The allegations claim that Kimber attended a meeting at the firm on how to win a major contract for a training program that he had led before he left the army.
An MoD investigation found Elbit had gained no commercial advantage and could continue to participate in the bidding process.
Elbit Systems UK is part of a consortium running for a 15-year contract to operate the Collective Training Transformation Programme (CTTP) to overhaul army training.
A decision on the contract is expected imminently.
Kimber, who was the training program’s director, left the army in September 2022 and was recruited by Elbit the following month.
He was hired by Elbit to deliver the contract if and when the company won it.
The report said he had signed a business appointments letter, which stated he 'will not be involved in CTTP' until after a cooling-off period expired in June 2023.
The dossier included 19 incidents where the whistleblower claimed Kimber attended meetings about the bid in breach of the MoD’s business appointment rules.
Elbit Systems UK told The Times that it follows the requirements and procedures advised by the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments 'regarding our employees who have served in the UK armed forces.' The MoD stated: 'The individual was not employed by the army at the time of the contract advert, pre-qualification questionnaire or invitation to negotiate.
The competition for the army’s Collective Training Transformation Programme remains ongoing and no commercial advantage has been gained by any company.
We follow strict procurement protocols to ensure fairness, value for taxpayers, and adherence to regulations.' Francis Tusa, a defense analyst, said: 'A dossier of emails and WhatsApp appear to show a crucial — and questionable — overlap between the months after the departure of the senior officer who was running CTTP and him actively advising Elbit about that program when he was under certain restrictions.
If the dossier’s dates do stack up, I can’t understand the MoD’s 'nothing to see here' approach — it would seem to me to be a clear breach of the rules.' Pro-Palestinian activists have targeted Elbit Systems UK because it is a subsidiary of Israel's Elbit Systems, which provides large quantities of weapons used in the Gaza war.
Brig. Philip Kimber attended meetings at Elbit Systems UK in the weeks after he left the army, according to a dossier sent to the Ministry of Defence (MoD) by a whistleblower and seen by The Times.
The allegations claim that Kimber attended a meeting at the firm on how to win a major contract for a training program that he had led before he left the army.
An MoD investigation found Elbit had gained no commercial advantage and could continue to participate in the bidding process.
Elbit Systems UK is part of a consortium running for a 15-year contract to operate the Collective Training Transformation Programme (CTTP) to overhaul army training.
A decision on the contract is expected imminently.
Kimber, who was the training program’s director, left the army in September 2022 and was recruited by Elbit the following month.
He was hired by Elbit to deliver the contract if and when the company won it.
The report said he had signed a business appointments letter, which stated he 'will not be involved in CTTP' until after a cooling-off period expired in June 2023.
The dossier included 19 incidents where the whistleblower claimed Kimber attended meetings about the bid in breach of the MoD’s business appointment rules.
Elbit Systems UK told The Times that it follows the requirements and procedures advised by the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments 'regarding our employees who have served in the UK armed forces.' The MoD stated: 'The individual was not employed by the army at the time of the contract advert, pre-qualification questionnaire or invitation to negotiate.
The competition for the army’s Collective Training Transformation Programme remains ongoing and no commercial advantage has been gained by any company.
We follow strict procurement protocols to ensure fairness, value for taxpayers, and adherence to regulations.' Francis Tusa, a defense analyst, said: 'A dossier of emails and WhatsApp appear to show a crucial — and questionable — overlap between the months after the departure of the senior officer who was running CTTP and him actively advising Elbit about that program when he was under certain restrictions.
If the dossier’s dates do stack up, I can’t understand the MoD’s 'nothing to see here' approach — it would seem to me to be a clear breach of the rules.' Pro-Palestinian activists have targeted Elbit Systems UK because it is a subsidiary of Israel's Elbit Systems, which provides large quantities of weapons used in the Gaza war.
