On 30 October 2024, the Pechersk Court of Kyiv ruled to seize the funds of the Pin-Up online casino, having granted the petition filed by the State Bureau of Investigation (SBI). This was reported by the press service of the Asset Recovery and Management Agency (ARMA).
‘Excellent work of the SBI! Thank you for your immediate response and filing the relevant petition with the court! This is exactly how it should be in a state governed by the rule of law. Not a single penny of the aggressor’s funds and those that were legalised by criminal means will be returned,’ said ARMA Head Olena Duma.
She added that all the seized funds should be used to support the Ukrainian Defence Forces in the fight against the aggressor.
Recently, Kyiv’s Pecherskyi District Court lifted the seizure of UAH 2.6 billion from Pin-Up online casino, which is linked to representatives of the aggressor country. In response, the ARMA immediately appealed to the State Bureau of Investigation to initiate a new arrest.
Olena Duma explained that the cancellation of the arrest contradicts the law and government resolution No. 187 of 3 March 2022, which imposes a moratorium on the return of funds related to Russia.
As a reminder, the ARMA together with the State Bureau of Investigation managed to confiscate a record UAH 2.6 billion from the accounts of this online casino, which was linked to the aggressor state, and used it to purchase military bonds to support the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
‘I emphasise that in no case will the funds allocated to the Armed Forces be returned to the enemy. What is happening is being observed by international partners who are helping Ukraine in the war against the enemy. Such decisions are a ‘purple litmus test’ for accelerating judicial reform,’ Duma concluded.
