Head of the ARMA Duma “accidentally” hinted that the liquidation of the MSEC was her merit

The head of the Asset Recovery and Management Agency, Olena Duma, decided to recall her work at the Social Insurance Fund, hinting that it was her efforts in 2020 that gave rise to the exposure of corruption schemes at the MSEC. In her post in the TG channel, she not only described her "heroic path" of fighting corruption, but also indirectly took credit for the elimination of medical commissions, UNN writes.

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Recently, a high-profile scandal erupted in Ukraine due to the exposure of corruption schemes by the heads of regional MSECs. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reportedthat during a meeting of the National Security and Defense Council on the situation with the MSEC and the abuse of disability by officials of various state bodies, a list of solutions was identified that would restore justice. In particular, this includes the digitalization of the processes of passing all stages of medical and social expert commissions, and real verification of declarations of MSEC members. President Zelenskyy demands to develop a draft law that will provide for the liquidation of medical and social expert commissions from December 31, 2024.

It is well known that Olena Duma likes to promote herself on high-profile topics. She did not ignore the hot topic of liquidation of the MSEC.

MSEC. Corruption. In 2020, I became the head of the Social Insurance Fund. This is a cool experience in exposing corruption schemes and what role it played for me personally... In the three months I was head, I had to fire four out of five deputies and almost every regional head. He had to submit relevant applications to various authorities (because they were all different and creative in their actions): the NAPC, the SBI, the SBU, the NPU, the NAPC, and others

She stated that it was thanks to her that more than  two thousand people who were illegally receiving disability payments in the social insurance fund system were identified, and her inspections revealed large-scale fraud. She hints that these actions were the first steps toward the current liquidation of the MSEC, which she said was a "systemic corruption hole.

"The most important thing is that my struggle resulted in satisfaction for the country - the corruption hole in the form of the Social Insurance Fund was eliminated by law and signed by the President of Ukraine. In 2020, I said: the problem of MSEK is not an isolated case, but a systemic corruption that requires a comprehensive solution. I believe that the situation will finally change," Duma said.

The Head of ARMA also emphasized that the agency is ready to manage the identified illegally acquired assets of corrupt officials from the MSEK or any other spheres.

"The current scandal with the MSEC is a painful echo of the old system. But Ukraine is irreversibly changing. And I am proud to be among those who embarked on the path of fighting this corruption scheme back in 2020. I should probably put an end to this. But I will write three words: The cleansing will continue," said the Head of the ARMA.

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At the same time, it is worth noting that experts pointed out that the political independence of ARMA's work under Olena Duma's leadership is questionable. 

In particular, it has recently become known about possible backroom agreements taking place in the ARMA under the leadership of Olena Duma. According to informed sources of UNN, a close associate of the former deputy head of the administration of President Viktor Yanukovych, lawyer and former MP Valeriy Pysarenko, regularly visits the ARMA headquarters in Kyiv to meet personally with Olena Duma. The purpose of his visits is allegedly to discuss the transfer of large seized assets in favor of certain influential people, including Yulia Tymoshenko. Among these assets was, for example, the capital's Gulliver shopping center.

Immediately after the publication of this material, the ARMA was quick to disassociate itself from these visits. They stated that there were no visitors with the name Valeriy Pysarenko in the log, and that Olena Duma was "not familiar" with the former MP at all.

However, they forgot to mention that their main office can be entered through four more "back" entrances and climbed through a window and two fire escapes, which have no logs of visits and security. 

One of the tools that can improve the situation with the management of seized assets and identify problems in ARMA's work is an external independent audit. 

It is demanded, in particular, by anti-corruption experts. However, so far it has not been conducted.