The Asset Recovery and Management Agency (ARMA) adopted a decision to refuse to sign the protocol on the results of the electronic auctions concerning the sale of 460 hectares of land plots on the Borzhava mountain meadow in Zakarpattia Oblast.

On 8 January 2026, following the publication of the protocol on the results of the electronic auctions, ARMA, within the limits of its powers, ensured the conduct of a thorough verification of the auction winners.

The information obtained during the verification indicates the presence of signs of relatedness which, under international asset recovery standards, are considered unacceptable, as they may create the risk of the asset being effectively returned under the control of former owners.

In this connection, the Agency refused to sign the protocol recognising the auctions as having taken place and to conclude the sale and purchase agreement. The auction organiser has been informed of the identified facts, and the necessary procedural measures have been taken.

The Prozorro.Sale electronic system ensures the competitiveness and transparency of auctions, while ARMA bears responsibility for the final outcome — preventing the return of the asset under the control of persons related to criminal offences. Such an approach complies with the requirements of legislation as well as Ukraine’s international obligations, in particular the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC).

In addition, ARMA sent official requests to the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO) to obtain a procedural assessment of the established relatedness.

Upon receiving the position of the competent authorities, the Agency will ensure further steps in accordance with the law, including conducting a new valuation and organising a repeated auction, taking into account the updated approaches to the management of arrested assets provided for by the Law on ARMA reform.

The cited example of the sale of land plots on the Borzhava mountain meadow has been used to improve approaches to the verification of auction participants with the aim of institutionalising preventive anti-corruption safeguards rather than reacting post factum.

For reference

The land plots with a total area of 460 hectares on the Borzhava mountain meadow were transferred to ARMA for management on the basis of the judgment of the High Anti-Corruption Court (HACC) dated 5 July 2024. The sale of arrested assets is carried out through the Prozorro.Sale electronic trading system by accredited electronic platforms.

ARMA does not interfere in the course of electronic auctions, the formation of price offers, the organisation and administration of auctions, the determination of the winner, nor in marketing and information activities related to their conduct.