"Inappropriate during wartime": political scientist criticized ARMA for buying a car for almost UAH 3 million

The purchase of a Hyundai Staria car in the top configuration for almost 3 million hryvnias by the Asset Recovery and Management Agency (ARMA) is questionable in terms of expediency during a full-scale war. This opinion was expressed in an exclusive comment to UNN by political scientist Dmytro Hromakov, former secretary of the public council at ARMA.

Details

ARMA announced a tender for the purchase of a Hyundai Staria Bronze car for almost 3 million hryvnias. Among the tender requirements for the car are all-wheel drive, leather interior, seat ventilation and heating system, navigation system, premium BOSE acoustics, 360-degree camera, chrome elements, interior lighting in 64 colors, two safes, and ARMA logo branding.

I believe that everyone has the right to purchase according to their needs. But the question of the necessity of such a purchase during wartime is more relevant. In my opinion, at this stage, if it is not some vital necessity, then buying top-end cars is not very correct in relation to the situation in the country. Especially for ARMA, which, in essence, is not such a budget filler. Did ARMA earn this car by itself, through its activities? That's the question.

He drew attention to the fact that even if there was a need for a vehicle, the class of the car and its configuration raised doubts.

Perhaps there was a need for some new vehicle or an update of the vehicle fleet. But here the question is about the class of the car, its comfort, and the need for exactly such a configuration.

It should be noted that the only participant in the tender was LLC "Bogdan Auto", which is associated with former president Petro Poroshenko. The company offered exactly the car model whose description almost literally matches the tender requirements.

Most likely, conditions were set under which only one supplier could satisfy this need, and therefore he won this tender.

According to the expert, society is unlikely to positively perceive such a purchase by ARMA, because it would be better to spend part of this money on military aid, rather than "to satisfy some excessively high needs of the agency's officials."

Recall

Despite criticism, the Agency decided not to cancel the tender. Only one company participated in it - LLC "Bogdan Auto", which became the winner. The company is associated with the "Ukrprominvest" group, which, according to YouControl, is part of the orbit of the sanctioned ex-president Petro Poroshenko and his long-time associate, former first deputy secretary of the National Security and Defense Council Oleh Hladkovskyi.