Representatives of the leadership of the Ministry of Internal Affairs were heard at a closed meeting in the parliamentary committee on internal security in connection with the July 5 road accident in Sofia, in which two young women died, BTA reported.
The accused in the case is the 35-year-old ex-footballer Georgi Semerdzhiev, who drove the luxury Audi Q7 SUV, which crashed into a taxi and then into the elevator of the European Union metro station. It subsequently emerged that he had numerous traffic violations over the years and was driving without a valid licence. Due to the case, internal investigations were started in the Ministry of Internal Affairs on whether police officers covered up and helped Semerdzhiev. The prosecutor’s office also opened an investigation.
The chairman of the internal commission, Atanas Atanasov, stated to the media that the Ministry of the Interior requested that the meeting be closed, although he did not understand why, as no classified information was presented.
“Nine pages of violations, findings and nothing against this person”, commented Atanasov at today’s hearing, where it became clear that there was no evidence that there was an “umbrella” over Semerdzhiev. Atanasov added that Semerdzhiev committed three violations in the year in which he acquired a driver’s license.
According to the chairman, several pre-trial proceedings were initiated against Semerdzhiev for various types of crimes. According to him, if Semerdzhiev had patrons, they are not in the Ministry of Internal Affairs. “The question of whether this person was under some kind of “umbrella” could not be clarified, for me the doubt remains that the problem is in the sphere of judicial power,” he added.
He added that he believed a “wide range of legislative changes were needed to make road traffic control effective”. There is also a need for investment in the Ministry of the Interior for new technologies for road traffic control. “They don’t have technical means. They need drones,” said Atanasov, specifying that there are also organizational problems in the ministry.
Atanasov added that the disciplinary investigation against police officer Simona Radeva, linked to Semerdzhiev and the road accident, has not yet been completed.
According to him, the Ministry of the Interior has submitted proposals for legislative changes for stricter control of road traffic. According to Atanasov, there should be changes not only in the Road Traffic Act, but also in the Penal Code, where an increase in the penalties for some transport crimes, as well as the introduction of new offenses such as “hooliganism on the road”, should be introduced.
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