While the Prime Minister is focused on geopolitical and European issues, the departments in our country seem hopelessly lost in institutional chaos. In the name of transparency and safety on Bulgarian roads, the Team of the Road Safety Institute (IPB) poses four key questions to the Regional Minister Arch. Ivan Shishkov regarding the moral and professional criteria in the personnel changes in the Agency “Road Infrastructure“ (API) from 29.05.2026.
The four absurdities in the biography of Ventsislav Angelov:
1. From coffee distributor to RIA boss (see table 1)
According to the official work experience report, before joining the RIA structures, Mr. Ventsislav Angelov had no previous professional experience in the field of construction. What is the institutional logic for a person whose biography includes positions as a coffee distributor to make a dizzying leap to director of the Regional Road Administration (RDA) - Veliko Tarnovo, and recently - to a member of the Management Board of the entire RIA? Is coffee the secret ingredient for managing asphalt and multi-million budgets in our country?
2. Express Master's Degree in 20 Days
In January 2019, Mr. Angelov was officially inadmissible to the competition for director of the RDA-Veliko Tarnovo due to the lack of the mandatory "master's degree". Just a month later (in February 2019), he was already approved as a candidate with a master's degree. Did the institutions bend, or the laws of time, to make this express education appear in a matter of days?
3. The missing “German experience“ (see CV)
MRDPW published information about Mr. Angelov's 4 years of work experience in a leading road construction company in Germany. However, his available employment documents lack any information about experience abroad. Why does his official CV from 2025 seriously differ from the data on the MRDPW and RIA websites? Which biography is the real one?
4. Guardrail instead of repairing an emergency bridge (see photos)
On June 3, 2024, in the event of a tragic fatal accident on a bridge near the village of Plakovo, the Institute of Roads and Bridges concluded that the facility was in critical condition, requiring immediate traffic closure and urgent structural strengthening. However, under the leadership of Mr. Angelov, the expert opinion was revised, and the “repair“ was reduced to the simple installation of a guardrail and opening to traffic. Is this how the risk to the lives of Bulgarian citizens is managed?
The Prime Minister's engagement on the European stage is no excuse for his ministers to allow administrative chaos and absurd personnel appointments at home.
The IRB team insists on an immediate, independent and public verification of the education, documents and professional experience of Mr. Ventsislav Angelov. The public has the right to know in whose hands it is leaving billions for Bulgarian roads and the safety of its life!
As soon as it became clear that the Road Safety Institute was investigating the case, the information about the "work in Germany" in question was quickly removed from the official information channels of the RIA and MRDPW. This attempt to erase traces and urgently cover up fabricated biographies proves that the institutions are operating in a panic mode, the Institute writes.
The IPB emphasizes that it would not seek political taunts if there were no loud demand for integrity and new morality from "Progressive Bulgaria". However, reality shows exactly the opposite - key positions in the state have been appointed to personnel deeply connected to the vicious and compromised practices of GERB since 2019. Behind the mask of change, the same old nomenclature is visible.