Court Orders State Bureau of Investigations to Open Proceedings Against ARMA for Failure to Return Seized Property

On March 23, 2026, the Pechersk District Court of Kyiv, while reviewing case number 757/15000/26-k, granted a complaint regarding the inaction of the territorial department of the State Bureau of Investigations (DBR). The court ordered the DBR to enter information into the Unified Register of Pre-Trial Investigations concerning the offenses committed by the National Agency of Ukraine for the Detection, Investigation, and Management of Assets Obtained from Corruption and Other Crimes, commonly known as ARMA.

According to reports from the Judicial and Legal Newspaper, the DBR, in violation of legal requirements, was unwilling to fulfill its obligations to enter information into the register. Under current legislation, law enforcement agencies are required to enter information into the register within 24 hours of receiving a complaint. However, the complainant did not receive any information indicating that the details of their complaint had been registered in the Unified Register of Pre-Trial Investigations. This lack of response compelled the defense to challenge the Bureau's inaction in court.

During the examination of the complaint, the court found that at the time of the hearing, no information from the complaint (notification) had been entered into the Unified Register of Pre-Trial Investigations, and the investigation had not even commenced. Since the DBR provided no evidence of having fulfilled its duty, and no representative of the DBR appeared at the court session, the court ruled in favor of the complainant.

The publication notes that the reason for the appeal to the DBR was allegedly the failure of ARMA to comply with court decisions and the non-return of seized property to its owner. According to information, court rulings are being ignored by ARMA and are not being executed, even in light of a change in the agency's leadership.

It is important to note that the report does not specify who the complainant is, what property is being referred to, or to whom this property belongs. This question remains open and requires further investigation, as the situation surrounding ARMA and its activities raises increasing concerns within society.

It should be emphasized that ARMA was established for the purpose of managing assets obtained from corrupt crimes; however, numerous complaints regarding its activities cast doubt on the effectiveness of its operations. Unexecuted court rulings may indicate systemic issues within the agency's operations that require urgent resolution.