G7 ambassadors supported the draft law on ARMA reform, but Duma ignores international signals and promotes an alternative

The ambassadors of the G7 countries supported draft law No. 12374-d on the reform of the Asset Recovery and Management Agency and called for its speedy adoption. Despite this, the head of ARMA, Olena Duma, once again called the document unconstitutional and stated that she was preparing an alternative one, UNN writes.

DetailsInternational partners have expressed clear support for draft law No. 12374-d on the reform of ARMA.

“We support strengthening the institutional basis of ARMA through the rapid adoption of No. 12374-d,” the statement said.

The G7 ambassadors stressed the importance of further progress in strengthening Ukraine’s anti-corruption system to fulfill international obligations regarding Euro-Atlantic integration.

This statement was a clear signal: the ARMA reform, which provides for an independent audit and renewal of the competition procedure, is a priority for international partners in the framework of Ukraine’s Euro-Atlantic integration.

The head of the Verkhovna Rada’s Anti-Corruption Committee, Anastasia Radina, thanked the ambassadors for their support and noted that the committee is working on the adoption of draft law No. 12374-d for the second reading.

An integral part of the reform, reflected in the draft law, is an independent audit of ARMA, a new competitive procedure for the election of the head of ARMA with the participation of international experts, as well as a significant improvement in the management system of seized assets.

At the same time, the head of ARMA Olena Duma once again opposed the draft law. She stated that she is initiating a “new agreed draft law”, although the current one has already received support not only from the Verkhovna Rada, but also from key international partners.

ARMA is already preparing a new, agreed draft law – taking into account all comments, including those of the G7 ambassadors

However, according to experts, Olena Duma is actively opposing draft law No. 12474-d because she is afraid of losing her position. Therefore, it can be assumed that the new “agreed” draft law is actually an attempt to avoid the introduction of an independent audit and re-election of the head, which is provided for by the current version No. 12374-d.

Let us remind youOlena Duma has repeatedly criticized draft law No. 12374-d on the reform of ARMA, 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 calls 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 ARMA head Olena Duma is nothing more than a reluctance to get rid of levers of influence. Anti-corruption experts conducted a content analysis of ARMA’s public communication and came to the conclusion that instead of a constructive dialogue on reforming the institution, the agency has built a campaign to discredit draft law No. 12374-d on changing the management system of seized assets and avoids any public recognition of its own mistakes.