
The expert criticized ARMA for updating the design of the register of seized assets instead of filling it with content
Kyiv • UNN
Vladyslav Romanov stated that the data in the ARMA's Register of Seized Assets is outdated, despite its updates. Employees are forced to manually enter information, which makes it difficult to monitor assets.
Despite the Asset Recovery and Management Agency's statements about updating the Register of Seized Property, real problems with filling in the data remain unresolved. This was stated by the former head of the Central Interregional Territorial Department of the ARMA Vladyslav Romanov, who emphasized that even the best design will not help if the register does not contain up-to-date information, UNN reports.
"In the eternal dispute between form and content, especially in this case, the content always remains more important. No matter how much the form is changed, if the content is weak, then the benefit of such a "wrapper" is low," Romanov said.
According to him, the problems with filling the register make it difficult to monitor the assets transferred to ARMA's management, as well as the status of their processing.
"As for the content, I know from the users themselves that it is weak and it was and is difficult to monitor the assets managed by ARMA, their condition, when the manager will be selected, as of today and for the last six months. Information is not entered on time, it is not relevant," he added.
Romanov also spoke about how ARMA employees are forced to manually enter data into the register, which takes time and resources.
"Over the past six months, according to internal information from the ARMA, the search staff has been significantly expanded in order to actively search for assets. At the same time, a lot of employees of the search unit were hired to mechanically enter information into the register, in order to enter at least the initial information about the arrest into the register," he said.
The former employee also criticized ARMA's attempts to introduce new technologies.
"If there is no data in the array, then no matter how you manipulate the registry or the browser, there will be no benefit for an external user. This also applies to those who could take assets under management and pay money for it. Despite the signing of a memorandum with the space agency and statements about new search tools, it looks ridiculous," Romanov said.
Add
Opening public access to the Register of Seized Assets was a key condition for Olena Duma to retain her position as Head of ARMA. After pressure from the parliament and the public, as well as fear of leaving her post, the Head of ARMA initiated the process of opening the register and in the second half of 2023 it was opened. However, anti-corruption activists have repeatedly criticized ARMA for the incompleteness and inaccuracy of the data in the registry. This information was confirmed by the audit of the Accounting Chamber .
In turn, 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.
Following the comments of the Accounting Chamber, Olena Duma announced the "first large-scale update" of the Register of Seized Assets since its creation. She spoke about improved functionality, modern design, and improved accessibility. In her opinion, this will contribute to transparency in asset management.