site.btaProsecution Probes Possible Mismanagement in Connection with Free Roadside Assistance at Road Authority

The Sofia City Prosecutor’s Office has launched pre-trial proceedings on its own initiative, following a media report about potential abuses at the Road Infrastructure Agency and the free roadside assistance service, the prosecution said.

Under the proceedings, witnesses are questioned, documents have been requested from the Road Infrastructure Agency, and other investigative actions related to the collection and verification of evidence are also being carried out.

The investigation is focused on the activities of individuals who are not employees of the Ministry of Interior, the Sofia City Prosecutor’s Office specified. In 2025, reportedly under pressure from the national police, roadside assistance services under the agency’s remit had been expanded. 

The report concerns a scheme for the unlawful subcontracting of road maintenance activities, through which at least BGN 14 million per month (just over EUR 7 million) are being siphoned off. It alleges that since 2025, the Road Infrastructure Agency has illegally subcontracted the provision of 24/7 free roadside assistance for citizens to the company Unit Assist Ltd. In turn, the company has also unlawfully subcontracted the activity to at least 11 other businesses.

The publication highlights the criminal past of the company’s owner and claims that no state institution has publicly informed citizens about the existence of the free roadside assistance service, even though it has consistently been included in road maintenance contracts since at least 2014. It also states that insiders speak of attempts to impose a monopoly in favour of Unit Assist with the help of state institutions, as well as pressure on competitors, threats, and extortion of victims of road traffic accidents.

On April 9, caretaker Regional Development Minister Nikolay Naydenov said that the state is withdrawing from what he described as a non-core activity, leaving roadside assistance services to competitive market forces and the current practice, whereby the Ministry of Interior obliges stranded drivers to use a designated state-linked service, will be discontinued.