A hidden deal: ARMA violates transparency principles in Truskavets sanatorium case

The Asset Recovery and Management Agency (ARMA) was established to manage seized assets in a transparent manner. However, the agency systematically conceals information about the value and manager of the asset from the public, despite its obligation to publish it. The information about the seized Truskavets sanatorium is no exception, UNN reports .

According to the law , all seized assets must be recorded in the Register of Seized Assets and their estimated value must be made available to the public.

However, the case of the Truskavets sanatorium, which was transferred to ARMA by the decision of the Pechersk District Court of Kyiv, clearly demonstrates the disregard for these requirements. There is no information about this asset in the Register, and there is no data on the valuation.

Despite the fact that the procurement of the manager's services for the sanatorium was conducted, the procedure was conducted without the use of the electronic system Prozorro, which violates the principles of openness. Moreover, even in the procurement report, information about the manager is hidden, which undermines the credibility of ARMA's activities.

According to the law, only a business entity can be a manager. However, the ARMA does not disclose details about the company that manages the sanatorium and does not report on the income received from its activities. This calls into question not only the legality of the process, but also the transparency of the use of public resources.

Such actions by ARMA, under the leadership of Olena Duma, raise numerous questions about her suitability for the position and her ability to perform her duties in compliance with the law and the interests of the state.

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ARMA shall manage assetsseized in criminal proceedings in order to preserve or increase their economic value. In order to preserve or increase the value of an asset, it must be valued and, by law, entered into the Register of Seized Assets. However, the reality looks different and a good example of this is not only the story of the Truskavets sanatorium, but also the garbage trucks transferred to ARMA .

In recent years, the ARMA has accumulated a lot of property that could not only generate revenue for the state budget, but also be useful during a full-scale war. For example, most of the sanatoriums that have been transferred to ARMA could be used for rehabilitation of wounded soldiers or provide shelter to IDPs.

In addition, ARMA has a lot of heavy equipment that could be used for the benefit of the state. Excavators and bulldozers could be used to strengthen the defense or restore infrastructure, but in fact they are idle without any use.

Security expert Serhiy Shabovta suggeststhat ARMA selectively publishes information on the valuation of seized property because it is beneficial to them for  corruption reasons. In his opinion, such facts should be addressed by law enforcement.