Ukraine's Anti-Corruption Prosecutor Charges ARMA Head Over Mismanagement of Seized Property

Criminal Proceedings Launched Against Yaroslavna Maksymenko

According to Главком: Ukraine's Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO) has initiated a criminal case against Yaroslavna Maksymenko, the acting head of the Asset Recovery and Management Agency (ARMA). The case, registered on January 23, 2025, is based on a parliamentary inquiry and falls under Part 2 of Article 364 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine, which deals with abuse of power or office.

The Property at the Heart of the Investigation

Investigators are focusing on a 647-square-meter house at 40 Dobrovolchykh Batalioniv Street in Kyiv. This property is controlled by former Interior Minister under Yanukovych, Vitaliy Zakharchenko, through the Dutch fund Stichting Global Investment. Due to alleged mismanagement of this seized asset, the state budget has reportedly lost at least 3.6 million hryvnias in potential rental income.

SAPO head Oleksandr Klymenko has tasked detectives from the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) with investigating the matter. On November 25, 2025, Maksymenko suggested the house could be transferred for use by the Ministry of Defense. Meanwhile, it has been revealed that former Energy Minister Herman Halushchenko rented the property from June to October 2025 for approximately 126,000 hryvnias per month, yet this rental income was not declared in his asset declaration filed on December 18, 2025.

• As of early June 2025, the house was valued at 48.48 million hryvnias.
• The property was purchased by the Dutch firm Stichting Administratiekantoor LVV in June 2013 and later sold to Stichting Global Investment.
• In 2016, Kyiv's Pechersk District Court froze the assets of Stichting Global Investment in Ukraine, with the seized property designated as material evidence in a criminal case against Vitaliy Zakharchenko.

According to the parliamentary appeal, 'The Law of Ukraine 'On the State Budget of Ukraine for 2025' allocated approximately 100 million hryvnias for the assessment and preservation of seized assets following ARMA's reform. This funding was intended for procuring security and maintenance services. Despite the availability of these funds, ARMA failed to conduct proper procurement procedures to ensure the management of this specific property.'

This case highlights systemic issues in Ukraine's management of seized assets, a critical component of its anti-corruption framework supported by international partners. The investigation led by NABU represents a significant test of Ukraine's commitment to holding high-level officials accountable for the misuse of state resources, with potential serious implications for the state budget.