The Agency for Search and Management of Assets (ARMA) found itself at the center of another scandal related to fictitious disability certificates, which allowed to avoid service in the Armed Forces of Ukraine and receive pension payments. The police are already investigating the case against five officials of the agency, among whom, according to sources, is the adviser to the head of ARMA Oleksandr Danilkovich.
Security expert Serhii Shabovta called on the head of the agency Elena Duma to take moral responsibility and resign.
"At this stage of the investigation, we can talk about the moral side of the case. She should have resigned, but she won't. In Ukraine, this is not characteristic of any leader, and neither is Olena Duma," the expert noted.
Serhiy Shabovta did not limit himself to criticism of a specific incident. In his opinion, since the very beginning of its existence, ARMA raises doubts about the efficiency and transparency of its work.
"ARMA is a tool created by the state to commit crimes under the guise of allegedly legal actions. There has been no trust in this body since its creation," Shabovta emphasized.
Such incidents, as the expert noted, testify to weak management control and the general low reputation of the agency.
On October 25, the National Police of Ukraine started criminal proceedings on the facts of official forgery and abuse of official position. According to the investigation, employees of medical and social expert commissions (MSEK) issued fictitious disability certificates to ARMA officials.
These documents allowed:
- Get a deferment from service in the Armed Forces.
- Issue pension payments.
The ARMA scandal is reminiscent of a recent incident at the General Prosecutor's Office, when similar abuses led to Andriy Kostin's resignation. However, the lessons of this scandal did not serve as a warning to other state bodies.
Shabovta expressed doubt that the investigation will be brought to a logical conclusion, and the guilty will be held accountable.
"There is a high probability that the case will simply be closed," the expert emphasized.
The situation once again raises the issue of systemic corruption in state bodies and the need for reforms that remain declarative for now.
