The Accounting Chamber's audit of the Asset Recovery and Management Agency found that the Unified State Register of Seized Assets lacks complete information about the property. In response, ARMA announced an update of the registry, but instead of fixing the problems, the changes will mainly concern the appearance and functionality of the interface, UNN writes.
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The Accounting Chamber's audit of the ARMA pointed to significant problems in the work of the Unified Register of Seized Assets.
"The audit revealed that the Unified State Register of Assets lacks complete information on assets, which leads to distortion of data on their value," the Accounting Chamber said in a report .
After that, the Asset Recovery and Management Agency announced an update to the registry that will go live in January 2025. However, instead of eliminating the problems identified by the auditors, the changes will mainly concern the appearance and functionality of the interface. The agency's statement emphasizes design improvements, new search filters, and a statistics section aimed at user convenience.
Among the key changes announced by the agency are the addition of information on military bonds, a Cabinet of Ministers order on the transfer of strategic assets to management, and new tools for official use. However, there is no talk of eliminating the data deficit emphasized by the Accounting Chamber.
As a reminder, the auditors emphasized that the lack of complete information in the register distorts the real picture of the value of assets and creates risks for their effective management. It may also contribute to distrust of the agency's work.
Thus, the announced update of the register looks more like an attempt to demonstrate a "victory" than a real solution to the problems identified by the auditors.
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ARMA Head Olena Duma called the audit "an unprecedented step in ensuring maximum transparency." She emphasized the record growth of the agency's revenues, the introduction of new management mechanisms, and the improvement of its performance in 2024. At the same time, the head of the agency avoided commenting on the problems identified during the audit.
Transparency International Ukraine , based on the results of its audit , pointed out the need to reform the ARMA. Anti-corruption experts pointed out that the agency's activities currently raise serious concerns, including from international partners.
Earlier, Transparency International Ukraine criticized the ARMA for not meeting European standards. Anti-corruption experts pointed out that quite often there is "contradictory communication from the agency or its officials, combined with populism, violation of the presumption of innocence and lack of understanding of the competence of state bodies.
The Asset Recovery and Management Agency decided not to comment on Transparency International Ukraine's remarks about "contradictory communication" on the part of the agency's officials, and instead spoke about their "achievements" in drafting laws.