The mission is to stay. Expert explains why Duma resorts to manipulations regarding the draft law on ARMA reform

The main reason for the resistance of the head of the Asset Recovery and Management Agency, Olena Duma, to the reform of the agency is the provision of draft law No. 12374-d on the re-election of the head of the institution. This was stated in a comment to UNN by the former head of the public council at ARMA, Ihor Chobitko, adding that this is what determines the tactics of public communication of the agency - from manipulation to inconsistent statements. 

Details

Recently, Transparency International Ukraine analyzed ARMA's statements regarding draft law No. 12374-d on reforming the management system of seized assets. Anti-corruption experts noted that the agency under the leadership of Duma, instead of constructive dialogue, switched to a campaign to discredit the reform. According to their analysis, ARMA constantly changed the emphasis in its communication, sometimes denying its own theses that it had previously cited. The only unchanged message in the agency's communication remained the statement "the agency is already being reformed".

Ihor Chobitko agreed with the conclusions of Transparency International and considers the analysis conducted by them to be well-founded and consistent.

I believe that Ms. Olena Duma makes decisions exclusively from her own interests, which consist of one or another period of time. And this is reflected in the fact that she puts her own interests in the prerogative of public interests. This draft law will not be able to resolve all the issues that exist in ARMA. But the main issue that, in my opinion, prevents Ms. Olena Duma from agreeing and making changes to this document is that it provides for open re-election of the head of ARMA. And this is a stone that prevents this draft law from moving forward 

In his opinion, the public statements of the head of ARMA regarding the draft law on ARMA reform, which are contradictory to the same statements made earlier, indicate that Olena Duma is trying by all means to prevent the adoption of this document.

The expert added that an important element of the draft law on ARMA reform is the introduction of an audit of the agency's activities.

The audit that this draft law provides for is also what the head of ARMA is afraid of. And I believe that it is this audit that will answer all questions about the reliability of information regarding those revolutionary changes and achievements that are constantly talked about 

Let us remind you

Recently, Olena Duma again criticized draft law No. 12374-d on ARMA reform, which has already been supported by the parliament in the first reading. She stated that the document "contains politically motivated norms" and "may harm the entire anti-corruption infrastructure." At the same time, she herself called her work in ARMA "a real breakthrough." At the same time, the head of the Verkhovna Rada's Anti-Corruption Committee, Anastasia Radina, believes that Olena Duma and her colleagues are "deliberately spreading false information" about the draft law on ARMA reform in order to preserve the existing ineffective system.

Transparency International Ukraine actually supported Anastasia Radina's position and stated that the resistance of the head of ARMA, Olena Duma, is nothing more than a reluctance to get rid of levers of influence.