Not just the dissolution of the MSEC: the head of ARMA emphasized her role in bringing youth back to Ukraine.
The head of the Asset Recovery and Management Agency, Elena Duma, published a post about the return of young specialists to Ukraine, emphasizing the agency's role in this process. This topic, which is actively promoted by President Volodymyr Zelensky as part of the economic recovery strategy, seems to be another platform for the PR of the head of ARMA, writes UNN.
"ARMA is bringing youth back to Ukraine... I am proud that young and ambitious specialists are joining the ARMA team. Today, I want to share the story of Elena Alekseenko, who at the age of 24 made a conscious decision to return to Ukraine to contribute to its development. Elena is a graduate of the Institute of International Relations at Taras Shevchenko National University. She already has experience working in international companies, and in the last year, she worked as a lawyer at a British law firm. However, she decided to come back home to apply her experience and knowledge to strengthen Ukraine," Duma wrote on her TG channel.
According to her, the young specialist will now work in the Department for Identifying, Searching, and Recovering Assets in Foreign Jurisdictions at ARMA.
The agency head noted that a significant portion of young specialists is already working in ARMA's central office - specialists under 35 make up 41% of the staff (77 employees).
"This allows us to effectively combine the experience of older colleagues with the fresh energy and innovative thinking of the youth. The doors of ARMA are always open to talented specialists eager to change the country. Join the team!" Duma emphasized.
Interestingly, the theme of returning Ukrainians home is one of the key points in President Volodymyr Zelensky's speeches. In particular, he highlights that the return of Ukrainians from abroad is a key factor for the country's economic recovery.
However, it seems that Duma is trying to leverage this strategic idea for her own interests, positioning ARMA as a leader in bringing back young specialists. Still, this is currently just a specific case rather than a large-scale initiative. Is this not yet another attempt by the agency head to take credit for an issue that truly extends far beyond her competence? Time will tell how realistic the outcomes of such a "return" are for the country as a whole.
Additionally
Chairperson of ARMA Elena Duma is also actively using the topic of the Medical and Social Expert Commission (MSEC) for her own PR.
She has repeatedly claimed that her efforts in 2020 exposed corruption in the MSEC, hinting that this sparked the dissolution of medical commissions. However, her statements, despite their loud phrasing, are not supported by concrete actions or results. Instead, the leader often mentions "meetings" and "initiatives" that do not lead to real changes in the operations of the agency.
The populism of ARMA officials instead of real actions has also been emphasized by Transparency International Ukraine. Anti-corruption activists pointed out that there is often "contradictory communication from ARMA or its officials, combined with populism, a violation of the presumption of innocence, and a lack of understanding of the competencies of state bodies."
The Asset Recovery and Management Agency decided not to comment on Transparency International Ukraine's remarks about the "contradictory communication" from the agency's officials, and instead reported on their "achievements" in developing legislative proposals.
This is not the only criticism directed at ARMA due to populism. Previously, experts have noted that the agency is more focused on politically resonant cases involving oligarchs than on effectively preserving and managing the transferred assets. It is worth noting that Elena Duma in her public speeches has repeatedly highlighted among her "achievements" the transfer of assets from oligarchs Dmitry Firtash, Mikhail Fridman, and Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska to ARMA.