In the ARMA, quite a few evaders have taken refuge

In the ARMA, quite a few evaders have taken refuge

The Main Investigation Department of the National Police gained access to the medical records of employees of the Asset Recovery and Management Agency (ARMA), who were granted disability status during martial law.

This is reported by «Glavcom» with reference to data from the court register.

According to the investigation, employees of the Medical-Social Expert Commissions (MSEC) organized the issuance of fake documents to officials of ARMA to assign them disability status in order to obtain illegal benefits. This privilege allows deferral from military service in the Armed Forces of Ukraine and provides additional income in the form of a pension.

The court rulings mention several ARMA employees (their last names are concealed) who are people with disabilities. For example, one of them received a Group III disability status in February 2023 with the diagnosis "Late recovery period of acute cerebrovascular accident." Another ARMA employee received a Group III disability status in April 2024.

The court allowed investigators to make copies of documents (medical records of outpatients, doctors’ certificates, original X-ray examinations, laboratory tests, hospital discharge summaries (epicrises), documents reflecting treatment results, examinations, and sick leave certificates) that formed the basis for awarding disability status to certain employees of the Asset Recovery and Management Agency.

Criminal proceedings were initiated at the end of October on the grounds of official forgery and abuse of official position.

An interdepartmental working group established by the Ministry of Health will verify the validity of the decisions made by the Medical-Social Expert Commissions (MSEC) regarding more than a thousand officials.

The nationwide scandal with the MSECs began when, on October 4, the head of the Khmelnytskyi Regional Center of Medical-Social Expertise, Tetyana Krupa, and her son, the head of the regional Pension Fund, Oleksandr Krupa, were exposed for illegal enrichment. During searches, nearly $6 million in cash was found. On October 7, the Pechersk District Court of Kyiv imposed a restraint measure on Tetyana Krupa. She was remanded in custody for 60 days (until December 3) with the possibility of posting bail in excess of 500 million UAH.

The President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, enacted a decision of the National Security and Defence Council to eliminate the Medical-Social Expert Commissions by December 31, 2024. Zelenskyy’s new decree stipulates that the Ministry of Health will develop legislative changes to determine how to assess the grounds for a person’s disability. Working groups will also be created to verify MSEC decisions regarding the establishment of disability for officials of the respective state bodies.

Subsequently, the government approved a plan to counteract corruption and other offenses among the MSECs. The Cabinet of Ministers also submitted a bill to the Verkhovna Rada on the liquidation of the Medical-Social Expert Commissions.

Already on November 20, the Verkhovna Rada supported in the first reading the bill №12178 on the liquidation of the Medical-Social Expert Commissions (MSEC). And on November 18, the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, signed law №11225 to improve the operation of the Medical-Social Expert Commissions.