site.btaBonuses in Road Infrastructure Administration Complied with Law, Minister Says

The total amount of BGN 2.27 million that was paid in controversial bonuses in the road infrastructure administration, were actually distributed among 174 employees, the Minister of Regional Development and Public Works, Ivan Ivanov, said in a written response to a parliamentary question from MP Ivaylo Mirchev (Continue the Change - Democratic Bulgaria). The Minister also said that the bonuses were paid in compliance with the law.

On August 13, Minister Ivanov ordered an audit of the way performance bonuses were formed and paid to RIA staff between January 1, 2024 and March 31, 2025.

The Minister said in his written answer to MP Mirchev that bonuses were paid to employees of the Central Administration of the Road Infrastructure Agency (RIA), the Regional Road Administrations, the Institute for Roads and Bridges, and the National Toll Administration - amounting to the said BGN 2.27 million. Among the receivers were department heads, sector chiefs, directors from all units within the Agency’s structure, and members of the RIA’s Management Board.

That makes an average bonus of just over BGN 13,000 for all 174 who received one, but, of course, they were not equal. 

The Minister also said that the stated amount was paid over a period of 15 months and covered 2024 and the first quarter of 2025, based on provisions from the Roads Act, the Labour Code, the Civil Servant Act, and the Ordinance on the Salaries of Government Employees. "The legal framework clearly and precisely regulates the awarding of such bonuses, and this applies to all employees in the public administration," the Minister emphasized.

RIA has also adopted internal rules that define the mechanism and criteria for awarding bonuses. Additional bonuses have been paid to nearly 2,200 employees across the road administration. The RIA's overall staff count is 2,412, with over 2,200 of them actively employed.

The issue of bonuses in the road infrastructure administration - which oversees a network of roads that is notoriously inadequate

The news comes in the wake of an open letter by the Road Safety Institute to the Chair of the RIA Management Board, saying "In 2024, you approved the payment of BGN 2,274,654 in additional bonuses for yourself, members of the Management Board, and RIA directors — for 'a job well done'." The Institute called on RIA to explain on what grounds such bonuses were awarded "while failing to fulfill your core responsibilities." The RSI argued in its open letter that "the distribution of millions of leva as bonuses sounds like a mockery of society and the victims of road traffic accidents," considering that the national road network is in an extremely bad condition, that roads are not repaired for lack of maintenance contracts, and that Bulgaria is persistently among the EU Member States with the highest road death toll while the RIA does not react to reports about dangerous road sections.

Later on, RIA sent a letter to the media, arguing that the RSI was circulating "manipulative allegations"

In June, a formal complaint was filed regarding the bonuses at the Road Infrastructure Agency, and a review was ordered. In early August, the Sofia City Prosecutor's Office informed BTA that an investigation is being conducted by the Counter-Corruption Commission, with a deadline of two months for completion.

Ivanov ordered a team of his Ministry's Internal Audit Directorate to check whether the statutory requirements and internal rules were complied with upon the formation and payment of the bonuses.