EQUITY acted as expert partner at II Legal Anti-Corruption Forum

Vyacheslav Krahlevich delivered a speech during the first session of the Legal Anti-Corruption Forum, «Priorities of Anti-Corruption Policy.»In his address, he focused on the systemic challenges faced by lawyers and their clients in a state of martial law. 

• Regarding the state of the judicial system:
  «The war has changed relations in society. Law enforcement agencies have become more stringent,while the judiciary is operating under increased pressure. Nevertheless, every person, even during wartime, has the right to defence and to a fair trial.» 
• The issue of unexamined appeals was also highlighted :
  Vyacheslav Krahlevich drew attention to cases in which appeals against detention orders remain unconsidered for two or longer, while the preventive measure is repeatedly extended. «This effectively deprives individuals of their right to appeal,» he emphasised.
• The need for legislative amendments was another key point of his speech:
  «Judical discretion must be clearly regulated by law. If an appeal is not examined, the court should not be able to extend the detention again.» Such changes,he stressed, would discipline both courts and law-enforcement agencies and would hold the courts and law-enforcement agencies. 
• The problem of constant hearing postponements was also addressed.  Among other issues, Vyacheslav Krachlevich mentioned delays caused by judges' leave, illness, power outages, and bomb threats.
  «The mechanism for transferring cases to other courts exists, but it does not function effectively in practice,» emphasized lawyer Kraglevich. 

He underlined  that only legislative changes are capable of ensuring real access to justice,as existing instruments—complaints,application to the Supreme Court, or appeals to the European Court of Human Rights - do not provide swift results.

Taras Poshyvanyuk conducted an open interview with Yaroslava Maksymenko, the acting head of the Assets recovery and management agency (ARMA). The discussion focused on the reform of ARMA, its initial results, and how the institution is building a new model of transparency and efficiency. Yaroslava Maksymenko said she began her work with a comprehensive internal audit and preparation for an independent international audit to determine the next steps for restarting the agency. 

Taras Poshyvanyuk also raised the issue of the scale of ARMA's operations. Notably, approximately 70,000 assets with a total value exceeding UAH 200 billion have been transferred to the Agency's management. Among  the successful examples cited were  assets managed by the Naftogaz Group,as well as promising assets of the IDS Group for which a management tender is currently underway. 

A separate segment addressed the most challenging categories: assets transferred abroad and assets converted into cryptocurrency. Ms. Maksymenko emphasized the importance of international cooperation and interaction with crypto exchanges to seize and immobilize such assets. 

Concluding the conversation, the acting head of ARMA called for openness and partnership: «We publish all  information assets via Prozorro and are looking for reliable managers. Businesses, lawyers, and society — we are open to cooperation.»

EQUITY expresses its gratitude to Legal Practice for creating a platform for discussion, the participants for their questions and involvement, and the speakers for their insightful contributions.