Draft bill #11397 of July 8, 2024 

Cosponsors: the Cabinet of Ministers 

Status: sent for review to the Anti-Corruption Policy Committee of the Verkhovna Rada 

Who is affected: citizens of Ukraine and the National Agency of Ukraine for finding, tracing, and management of assets derived from corruption and other crimes (ARMA) 

Summary: 

  • at least 40% of members of the selection committee responsible for filling in vacant positions at ARMA will have to be members of the Public Council 
  • at least 40% of members of the disciplinary committee of ARMA will have to be members of the Public Council 
  • also, the Public Council will: 
    • decide on which of its members will participate in the selection of asset managers 
    • control the legality and transparency of the decisions on asset sales, as well as the efficiency of managing assets transferred to ARMA 
    • decide on which of its members will check the efficiency of managing assets arrested and transferred to ARMA 
    • delegate its members to participate in the meetings of the interdepartmental commission on asset sales 
    • provide conclusions on the annual report on ARMA’s activities. 

What is right: the bill will enhance the transparency and openness of ARMA’s work. 

Background information: the creation of the Asset Recovery and Management Agency (ARMA) was once a requirement for Ukraine to obtain a visa-free regime with the EU. The law stipulates that ARMA is a state body that finds assets of criminal case suspects upon request from law enforcement agencies and manages arrested assets. 

Public oversight of ARMA’s work is carried out by the Public Council. It consists of 9 members elected through competition via open online ranking voting by citizens residing in Ukraine. The head of ARMA approves and makes public the list of members of the Public Council based on the competition results.