site.btaRegional Development Minister to Disclose All Data, Amounts Paid for Free Roadside Assistance, CC-DB Demand in Declaration

In a declaration on behalf of Continue the Change – Democratic Bulgaria (CC-DB), read out from the parliamentary rostrum by MP Stela Nikolova, insist that the Regional Development and Public Works Minister disclose all data and amounts paid to date for the provision of roadside assistance, which is free of charge to Bulgarian citizens.

Nikolova presented data indicating that in public procurement contracts for the maintenance and repair of highways, the Road Infrastructure Agency is unlawfully expanding the scope of the contracts by unlawfully including roadside assistance services within the scope of the contracts under the pretext of winter maintenance. 

According to Nikolova, these expansions exceed the regulatory framework of the Roads Act, the Disaster Protection Act, the instructions on the conditions and procedures for carrying out urgent emergency restoration works, as well as other regulations and laws, and effectively lead to the inclusion of roadside assistance activities. Nikolova added that this activity is separately regulated by the Road Traffic Act, which is not included among the regulatory acts in the technical requirements for public procurement. 

According to the MP, the contracting authority, the Road Infrastructure Agency, and the contractors were aware that roadside assistance was included in the scope of the public procurement contracts, as evidenced by documents and their actions.

The estimated cost over 48 months for roadside assistance, which Bulgarian citizens are unaware of but still pay for, is approximately BGN 98 million, including VAT, Nikolova said. According to her, a single company performs the activities under the contracts, thereby precluding other commercial entities from participating on the Trakia, Hemus, and Struma motorways, even though these entities possess licensed equipment for providing roadside assistance. According to her, the company has no subcontracting agreement and is not listed as a subcontractor, yet the companies executing the contracts for motorway repair and maintenance have entrusted the provision of roadside assistance exclusively to it. Nikolova added that the company’s owner has an Interior Ministry criminal record for car theft and other serious crimes.

Public procurement contracts for motorway maintenance and repair contain systemic violations, including unlawful expansion of scope, deliberate participation of contractors in illegal activities, financial losses to the state budget, preconditions for monopolization, lack of oversight, and indications of corrupt practices. On Tuesday, media reports claimed that the prosecutor’s office is investigating this illegal money-box, Nikolova added.