ARMA Has Terminated the Competition for the Manager of Shopping Mall ‘Gulliver’
This is reported by Kyiv24
The National Agency for the Detection and Management of Assets Acquired Illegally (ARMA) has announced the completion of the competitive procedure for selecting a manager for the seized shopping and office center ‘Gulliver’ in the Prozorro system.
History of the Seizure and Management of Shopping Mall ‘Gulliver’
The asset of the shopping and office complex was transferred to ARMA’s management back in 2017 as part of a criminal proceeding regarding the illegal appropriation of funds from state banks by former president Viktor Yanukovych and his associates. The agency’s task was to ensure the preservation and effective management of the seized property until its legal status was finally determined.
During the court proceedings, it was established that the ownership share of Shopping Mall ‘Gulliver’ belongs to state creditor banks, not individuals associated with Yanukovych. This was the basis for concluding the competition and returning the asset to state control.
‘Gulliver’ is one of the largest shopping and office complexes in the capital, and for a long time, it has been the subject of legal disputes regarding ownership rights.
Manager Competition and Subsequent Decisions
The case’s history is tied to the seizure of the shopping mall in 2018 when the complex was placed under ARMA’s management. From April 26, 2018, the management of the facility was handled by the company LLC ‘Tri O’, which transferred 8.2 million UAH to the state budget from 2018 to 2021.
In October 2024, ARMA announced a competition for the selection of a new manager, which required a monthly guaranteed payment of 17.388 million UAH — the minimum amount the manager had to pay for a month of managing the complex. In June 2024, within the framework of a criminal proceeding regarding tax evasion, the court ruled to transfer ‘Gulliver’ under ARMA’s management.
On January 10, 2025, the winner of the competition was announced as LLC ‘BK Millennium’, which specializes in real estate management and was registered in December 2017. The ultimate beneficiary and head of the company is Volodymyr Myechov. However, on January 23, 2025, ARMA rejected the competition results due to identified violations. Thus, the procedure for selecting a manager was concluded, and the asset was definitively returned to the state.