A $1.5 million Congo arms deal has turned into a bitter legal dispute in Israel
Court documents reveal claims of unpaid ammunition, defective products and a costly operation to return some of the supplies to Israel.
In 2023, an Israeli weapons maker sold assault rifles, pistols, and ammunition worth more than $1.5 million to arm the Presidential Guard of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. However, the African government failed to pay for some of the ammunition, citing, among other reasons, the supply of defective products and faulty ammunition. Some of the stock was even returned to Israel in a complex logistical operation that cost hundreds of thousands of dollars.
These details emerge from documents submitted to the court as part of a commercial dispute between Emtan, a Karmiel-based weapons manufacturer controlled by businessman Reuven Zada, which procured the ammunition for the project from IMI Systems , and SYN-RG-Ai, the company that brokered the deal. The dispute recently escalated when Emtan filed a lawsuit seeking NIS 4.5 million ($1.5M) from the broker, alleging that it had failed to pay its debts.
According to the Registrar of Companies, Syn-RG is 39% owned by Major General (Res.) Roni Numa, the former commander of the IDF Central Command; 39% by businessman and logistics and freight company ICL owner Lt. Col. (Res.) Avichai Stolero; and 22% by Col. (Res.) Avraham (Avi) Cohen, who previously held senior positions in the IDF's C4I and Cyber Defense Directorate and serves as the company's CEO. On its website, SYN-RG-Ai presents itself as a technology company offering information and communications solutions, rather than as a company involved in the arms and ammunition trade.
According to documents submitted to the court, the relationship between the companies over the Congo project was established in 2022. "Negotiations took place between the parties, during which they agreed that SYN-RG-Ai would purchase weapons manufactured by Emtan as well as various types of ammunition manufactured by IMI," Emtan claims in the lawsuit.
The arms manufacturer asserts that, although it customarily requires full payment upfront before delivery, it agreed to the arrangement because it understood that the intermediaries were "high-ranking reserve officers who appeared to be wealthy, trustworthy individuals of means, assets, and influence."
According to Emtan, "the arms industry operates on the basis of personal trust, with large-scale deals often concluded based on verbal agreements, relying on personal assurances and the 'word' given by the other party. Making payments on time and in full is considered sacrosanct; the parties honor this obligation with the utmost reverence, never even contemplating a breach of promise."
The shipments were dispatched between June and November 2023. They included hundreds of MZ-4 and MZ-15 assault rifles, MZ-10 machine guns, Ramon pistols, as well as laser designators, telescopic sights, and night-vision systems. They also included millions of rounds of 5.56mm, 7.62mm, and 9mm ammunition.
The invoices listed the recipient as "Presidency of the Republic of the Congo - Palais de la Nation, Kinshasa." They also noted, following the itemized list of components and prices, that "the items are weapon parts requiring licenses and export approval from the Ministry of Defense’s Defense Export Control Agency."
According to email correspondence submitted to the court, the Congolese government did not pay the full amount due after the shipments were delivered. SYN-RG therefore sought to return some of the shipments to Emtan to offset the outstanding debt.
On December 9, 2024, under the subject line "Return of ammunition to Israel - Congo Project," SYN-RG CEO Cohen wrote to Emtan's CEO: "I am requesting your assistance in returning ammunition to Israel and obtaining a credit for it, given the Congolese government's non-payment for the project."
"The ammunition is stored at the Presidential Guard’s Kibomango base in Congo," Cohen added. He said that "ICL (Avichai) will handle all logistics in Congo and Israel, packing and transport on the Congolese side, aircraft chartering/air shipment, and permits and approvals in Israel."
Cohen requested that the value of the returned ammunition be credited against SYN-RG's debt to Emtan, which, according to Emtan, stood at more than $1 million at the time. Emtan said SYN-RG had paid approximately $490,000 toward the debt.
SYN-RG disputed Emtan's claims. In a response, the company stated: "Emtan is concealing the fact that SYN-RG has paid the plaintiff approximately ten million dollars to date, an amount far exceeding what the plaintiff is entitled to, given its conduct. SYN-RG has valid claims against the plaintiff and intends to file a counterclaim regarding price inflation, the supply of defective products, the supply of substandard ammunition, and other such failures and breaches of the agreement. The personal lawsuit against shareholders and directors is entirely baseless legally and is nothing more than a dishonest attempt to pressure them by threatening their reputations."
The dispute also extends beyond the Congo transaction. According to the documents, SYN-RG's shareholders are challenging Emtan's lawsuit in the context of a separate dispute over a major IDF tender worth tens of millions of shekels. A company owned by one of SYN-RG's shareholders won the tender to supply high-quality assault rifles to IDF troops. Emtan subsequently filed a lawsuit seeking to overturn the results and have itself declared the winner, but the suit was dismissed.
The parties now remain locked in a broader commercial dispute involving the Congo deal, the quality and pricing of the weapons and ammunition supplied, and the separate IDF tender.
