On May 13, during the III White-Collar Crime Forum, Pavlo Velykorechanin, Deputy Head of the Asset Recovery and Management Agency, delivered a presentation focused on the tracing of unjustified assets and approaches to their seizure in Ukraine and abroad.
The key focus of the presentation was the mechanism of civil forfeiture as one of the most effective ways to counteract illicit enrichment. This legal mechanism, which does not require a prior criminal conviction, enables the state to recover assets if a person does not have confirmed legal sources for their acquisition.
According to Pavlo Velykorechanin, civil forfeiture makes it possible to overcome the length and complexity of the criminal process and recover significant amounts of assets to the state in a short time.
“Civil forfeiture is a practical tool that enables us to avoid waiting years for final court verdicts. When a person cannot justify the origin of their assets, the state has the right to recover them for the benefit of society. This approach has proven effective, especially in situations where delays directly undermine the interests of the state,” noted the Deputy Head of ARMA.
ARMA’s Results in Tracing Unjustified Assets:
Between August 2024 and April 2025, the Asset Recovery and Management Agency (ARMA), in cooperation with the National Agency on Corruption Prevention (NACP), processed 52 requests concerning assets located abroad.
The assets found include apartments in Miami, Prague and Batumi, a luxury car Porsche Cayenne, and more than 400 thousand euros on accounts in Moldova.
One of the most notable cases involves a deputy of the Odesa City Council, whose family owned real estate in Spain valued at over UAH 40 million, despite having no documented lawful sources of income. ARMA’s findings served as the basis for initiating criminal proceedings in this matter.
In addition, ARMA has established a long-term cooperation with the State Bureau of Investigation (SBI). In 2025, the Agency processed seven requests from the SBI and provided information on over 140 potentially unjustified assets, including real estate, corporate rights, vehicles, cash, 43 animals, and 8 firearms.
“The main task of ARMA is not just to trace assets, but to make them work for the state. That is why we actively support the expansion of civil forfeiture — a mechanism that reduces the risk of impunity and enables prompt responses to cases of illicit enrichment,” stated Pavlo Velykorechanin, Deputy Head of ARMA.
The Deputy Head of ARMA emphasized that civil forfeiture should become a key pillar of Ukraine’s anti-corruption policy, particularly in times of war, when the state requires swift and effective mechanisms to recover stolen resources for the benefit of society.
