Arafat was indicted by the Military Prosecutor’s Office in the SMURD helicopter case

„I am the defendant in the helicopter smuggling case. First of all, I as a person have the right to defend myself and I have two limits to my personal defense, which I do at any time. It should be within the limits of the law and within the limits of decency. And I will do this continuously, respecting these two limits. Secondly, the act of smuggling with the helicopter, I have explained before and I will say it again, is an act that is effectively I do not know how it can be justified, from the moment all the institutions were informed. Customs gave a point of view on the basis of which the General Aviation Inspectorate acted. When the helicopter arrived, a document was sent that proves that the helicopter came to Customs. There was correspondence between Customs and the Aviation Inspectorate and more than that, anyone, Customs or ANAF, could come and say that you have to pay VAT. So, for 9 years no one came to say that we have to pay VAT, when everyone knew about the situation and was informed,” said Raed Arafat, after the hearings.

Placed under surveillance since April 2026

Arafat was put under criminal investigation in April 2026.

The case concerns the procedures related to the acquisition of a SMURD helicopter, and military prosecutors are investigating the head of the Emergency Situations Department in connection with alleged acts of complicity in smuggling.

In July, prosecutors also ordered the seizure of Raed Arafat’s assets, as part of the same investigation.