Minister of Interior Ivan Demerdzhiev ordered that from now on, expenditures under the "Road Safety" Fund be made only for activities directly related to improving the road transport situation in the context of the priority of reducing victims and injured persons in accidents, the press center of the interior ministry announced.
The Ministry of Interior added that this was done after the Minister, upon taking office, requested a review of the current status of the activities under the "Road Safety" Fund and has reviewed the findings.
Earlier today, the National Audit Office published an audit report stating that Bulgaria is among the leaders in road fatalities, but the measures taken to reduce road injuries are insufficient and inadequate. The report also noted that over half a billion leva for improving road safety have accumulated in the specialized fund, but a huge part of the funds remain unspent due to administrative and organizational weaknesses in the Ministry of Interior, which manages the fund.
The National Audit Office report follows an audit on the topic: “Effectiveness of control carried out by the bodies of the Ministry of Interior and the contribution of the Road Safety Fund to increasing road safety“. The audit covers the period from January 1, 2021 to June 30, 2021, and the audited entity is the Ministry of Interior.
Last week, it was announced that the National Audit Office is auditing the Ministry of Interior and the Executive Forestry Agency for spending 1.3 billion leva on fighting fires and other disasters.