PR stunt at the MSEC: How ARMA head Elena Duma turns meetings and appeals into false accomplishments.

The head of the Asset Recovery and Management Agency, Elena Duma, is not new to using the topic of corrupt assets from the MSЕК to shape her personal image. However, instead of taking concrete actions, she speaks about meetings and suggests discussions on legislative changes, reports UNN.

Details

In her message on the TG channel, Elena Duma once again emphasized that ARMA has already located a significant amount of assets related to the MSЕК case and is ready to manage them. At the same time, rather than providing a report on actual results, the head of ARMA talks about "meetings," "initiatives," and the need for legislative changes. Yet, such statements have been made before without any noticeable changes in the agency's operations.

In particular, Elena Duma spoke about a meeting with the head of VAKS and stressed the need for changes in the norms regarding the transfer of physical evidence to ARMA in the Civil Code. Additionally, the agency head stated that the seized funds should not "just be stored as evidence." However, this raises the question - isn't "asset management of seized assets in criminal proceedings, aimed at preservation," one of the main functions of the Asset Recovery and Management Agency?

"I urge law enforcement agencies, courts, and relevant institutions to cooperate in addressing this systemic issue. Every hryvnia of corrupt assets should work toward restoring justice and strengthening our state," stated Elena Duma, highlighting the importance of her initiative and thereby effectively suggesting that her agency does the most to fill the budget, unlike other institutions.

Corrupt assets could indeed contribute to the economy and defense, but this requires not just statements but a clear strategy and responsible leadership.

Previously, Elena Duma has several times highlighted her "role" in exposing corruption schemes in the MSЕК and hinted that her efforts in 2020 were pivotal in uncovering the corruption schemes in the MSЕК. At that time, the head of ARMA not only described her "heroic journey" in the fight against corruption but also indirectly credited herself with the achievements in dismantling medical commissions.

Additionally

On the occasion of the 9th anniversary of ARMA's establishment, Transparency International Ukraine stated that the agency now requires substantial reform and hardly meets the European standards under which it was created. Anti-corruption activists pointed out that there is often "contradictory communication from ARMA or its officials, combined with populism, violation of the presumption of innocence, and a lack of understanding of the competencies of state bodies."

In the Asset Recovery and Management Agency, they chose not to comment on Transparency International Ukraine's remarks regarding the "contradictory communication" from the agency's officials, instead sharing their "achievements" in developing bills.

This is not the only criticism directed at ARMA due to populism. Previously, experts noted that the agency focuses more on politically resonant cases involving oligarchs rather than on the effective preservation and management of transferred assets. It is worth noting that Elena Duma has repeatedly emphasized in her public speeches among the "achievements" of her work the transfer of assets from oligarchs like Dmitry Firtash, Mikhail Friedman, and Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska to ARMA.