Pure manipulation: expert on Duma's attempt to shift blame for ARMA's failures

Attempts by the head of the Asset Recovery and Management Agency, Olena Duma, to shift the responsibility for her failures to Transparency International Ukraine are a common manipulation. This opinion was expressed in an exclusive commentary to UNN by Dmytro Hromakov, former secretary of the Public Council under the ARMA.

Details

Recently, the head of the ARMA statedthat the mechanism of sanctioned sale of assets, which is supported by Transparency International, allegedly blocks the filling of the state budget. According to her, there is currently a targeted campaign, including by TI, to "promote" the high-profile case of Medvedchuk's yacht under sanctions, which will allegedly block the possibility of filling the budget.

According to Dmytro Gromakov, in this way the head of ARMA is simply trying to absolve herself of responsibility for the agency's failure to bring the case to a conclusion.

Her reputation is at stake, and this post is a pure manipulation to really divert attention from her mistakes and her shortcomings, and to shift the responsibility to some external factors that are also under pressure today,

According to him, the main reason for the problem with the sale of the traitorous ex-MP's yacht is that its owners included not only people associated with Medvedchuk, but also foreign companies, which legally complicates its sale.

That is why today it is impossible to implement it, and it is being blamed on an external entity that, let's say, is not involved in this process,

Gromakov warns that such statements by the ARMA leadership could negatively affect Ukraine's international image.

International partners will not accept this criticism (Transparency International - ed.), and Ukraine will be presented as an entity that is willing to break the rules for its own interests... This is a very shaky path that Ms. Olena is leading Ukraine on. This is about legal awareness and, let's say, the development of legal culture,

Recall

The Accounting Chamber conducted an audit of ARMA for 2022-2023 and the first half of 2024, which revealed significant problems in the management of seized assets. In particular, the auditors emphasized the following problems: imperfect mechanisms for selecting managers and appraisers of confiscated assets; incomplete data on assets in the register; unregulated relations between ARMA and prosecutors and pre-trial investigation bodies.

However, 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. 

Based on the results of the audit, Transparency International Ukraine 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.