“We cannot go into details on the content of the note but we can say that it is linked to some investments [which had] gone wrong that Mr Chandelon had done with some friends. The family was not aware of these investments.” Belgium Prosecutor Vincent Macq

On December 16 2016, NATO Chief Auditor Yves Chandelon was found dead in an apparent suicide under suspicious circumstances. Chandelon’s death occurred three days before the murder of Russia’s Ambassador to Turkey Andrey Karlov in Ankara on December 19. Another Russian diplomat, Petr Polshikov, was also found dead in his apartment in Moscow the same day. Follow us on Twitter: @INTEL_TODAY

Chandelon was auditor general at the NATO Support and Procurement Agency (NPSA), charged with logistics for the alliance’s headquarters in Capellen, Luxembourg. According to some reports, he may have also been involved in probing terrorism financing and money laundering. However, these allegations have been denied by a NATO official.

“Mr. Chandelon was responsible for executing the NSPA audit programme of work only, which focused solely on NSPA responsibilities, and did not include any activity associated specifically with counter terrorism, or money laundering.”

Initial media reports claimed that Chandelon used an unregistered gun despite owning three registered weapons and that he used his right hand to fire the weapon, even though he was left-handed.

Chandelon’s body was found near the town of Andenne in Belgium’s Ardennes region, some 140 kilometers from his office and 100 kilometers away from his residence in the town of Tournai. [It is likely that the location of death is related to the origin of his debt.]

Media Reports

Yves Chandelon, a Chief Auditor at NATO, was found dead in the city of Andenne in the Belgian Ardennes on December 16, 2016. His death appears to have been first reported by French newspaper LaMeuse on December 20, 2016. It was picked up the next day by Luxembourgian paper Tageblatt. On December 22nd, Russian publication Pravda ran the story in English, reporting that Chandelon’s body was detected 140km (87 miles) away from his work, and 100km (62 miles) away from his home in the city of Lens. Also emerging on December 22nd was a report by Flemish newspaper De Morgen. De Morgen wrote that the family of Chandelon contested the verdict of a suicide.

Coincidences fuel suspicions

Chandelon’s death occurred three days before the murder of Russia’s Ambassador to Turkey Andrey Karlov in Ankara on December 19. Another Russian diplomat, Petr Polshikov, was also found dead in his apartment in Moscow the same day.

Suicide

Due to the nature of his job and the current geopolitical climate, some observers suggested that he may have been killed, perhaps because he had discovered serious wrongdoings inside NATO. The family also disputed the idea that he may have committed suicide.

However, the prosecutor’s office said some members of the family subsequently changed their minds when investigators found a one-page, handwritten note in the car. They believe it is Chandelon’s handwriting on the note.

REFERENCES

Intel Report: NATO Chief Auditor Dies Under Suspicious Circumstances

Prosecutor: NATO chief auditor committed suicide — POLITICO

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NATO Chief Auditor: Suicide Linked to ‘Bad Investments’