The former acting head of the National Asset Management Agency (ARMA) and his deputy have been charged with misappropriation of seized funds that were transferred to ARMA for management. The prosecutor's office has also charged the head of the asset management department and two lawyers with misappropriation of $398,000 that was under arrest and transferred to ARMA for management.
According to the case, the defendants forged a court decision to lift the arrest of funds and transferred the money to the account of an individual who had no connection to the funds. The money was then distributed among the criminals.
These actions are qualified under Article 191 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine as embezzlement of property on a particularly large scale, and the actions of one of the lawyers are additionally incriminated under articles on incitement to a crime, fraud, and forgery of documents.
Among the defendants was also Vitaliy Sygydyn, who served as acting head of ARMA from November 2019 to August 2021. Recall that the previous head of ARMA, Anton Yanchuk, was also suspected of embezzling more than UAH 426 million.
Investigations have shown that ARMA employees, with the help of representatives of the State Enterprise "SETAM" and private companies, organized a scheme to sell property at a reduced price. At least four cases of such activity were identified, including the sale of three land plots in the Odessa region, which were sold 18 times cheaper than their market value.
