The National Agency of Ukraine for Finding, Tracing and Management ofAssets Derived from Corruption and Other Crimes continues its systematic work onthe finding, seizure, tracing and effective management of assets obtained unlawfully.

As of today, one of the key cases in this work is the sale of such an asset as theyacht Royal Romance, as well as other assets linked to Viktor Medvedchuk, who isaccused of treason. Sanctions were imposed against him in 2021 by the NationalSecurity and Defense Council of Ukraine, which provide for asset blocking, seizureof property, etc.

Currently, following international cooperation, ARMA has moved to the stageof practical preparation for the sale of the Royal Romance asset.

For reference: the yacht Royal Romance, which is under the jurisdiction of theRepublic of Croatia, has been transferred to ARMA for management with the purposeof its further sale on the basis of a ruling by an investigating judge.

An important procedural stage was the completion of the pre-trial investigation- the Office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine has submitted the indictment to thecourt, and the proceedings have moved to the trial stage.

The relevant materials have been transferred to the Croatian side within theframework of international legal assistance.

At the same time, preparations are ongoing for the valuation of the asset, determination of the sales model, and ensuring a transparent sales procedure throughpublic mechanisms.

Thus, the Royal Romance case is at the stage of practical implementation of a clear roadmap - from the recognition of a Ukrainian court decision to the sale of theasset and the transfer of proceeds to state accounts, with their subsequent distributionbetween jurisdictions.

It should be noted that this case is accompanied by increased proceduralresistance from the party associated with Viktor Medvedchuk. In particular, thisincludes attempts to delay procedures and the use of all possible legal instruments toblock the progress of the case.

ARMA emphasizes that such resistance is an expected element of suchprocesses, and the relevant risks have been communicated to the competentauthorities for appropriate response.

At the same time, ARMA continues to work on other complex assets. Inparticular, in the case of the yacht Amore Mio, linked to the circle of ViktorMedvedchuk, the key challenge was establishing the location of the asset.

To this end, the Agency engaged a wide network of international partners, including Interpol, Europol, the International Maritime Organization, as well ascompetent authorities of a number of states. As a result of this work, the asset wasentered into Interpol’s Stolen Vessels database, enabling global monitoring of itsmovement.

This case demonstrates that even in situations where an asset is effectivelyhidden, international cooperation allows for the development of effectivemechanisms for its tracing and return to the legal framework.

ARMA emphasizes that the key criterion of the Agency’s effectiveness is notthe number of procedural actions or the speed of individual procedures, but bringingcases to a final result - real revenues to the state budget of Ukraine.