site.btaTransport Minister Admits Underestimating Corruption in Traffic Control Agency

Bulgaria’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport, Grozdan Karadjov, acknowledged on Friday that corruption within the country’s Road Transport Administration (RTA) is a systemic problem he had underestimated. “I will not underestimate it again,” Karadjov told Parliament during a Q&A session here on Friday. 

His comments follow a scandal involving two RTA inspectors who were fired and charged with soliciting and accepting bribes from drivers transporting equipment for British singer Robbie Williams' concert in Sofia on 28 September. 

MP Nikolay Radulov from the opposition party Morality, Unity, Honour (MECh) criticised Karadjov, saying the incident made Bulgaria internationally infamous. He also demanded the Minister’s resignation over the poor state of the national railway system.

In response, Karadjov reviewed corruption cases in the transport sector since 2013 and defended his tenure. He cited safety improvements introduced after a major train crash near Lokorsko, claiming a 30% drop in accidents and a 40% drop in incidents within three months of implementing new safety measures.

“When I work, there are results. When you speak at the podium, you just move air,” Karadjov told his critics.