Damage to the speedometer discs of the trucks with equipment for the Robbie Williams concert is the reason for the requested bribe. This was stated by the Director of the SDVR, Chief Commissioner Lyubomir Nikolov, during a briefing on the detained employees of the Executive Agency “Automobile Administration“ (IAAA), reported by dariknews.bg
Nikolov explained that the composition consisted of 22 vehicles with British registration, with potential malfunctions identified in five of them. The DAI officers extorted the five foreign drivers after stopping the trucks at around 7:20 p.m. near the "Black Cat" complex in Sofia. Two of the drivers provided 200 leva each after being forced to withdraw the amounts from an ATM, and a third agreed to give 300 euros. There was a language barrier between the drivers and the inspectors, with the bribes being requested via Google Translate.
The director of the SDVR stated that the cars, office premises and homes of the detainees were searched. 43 thousand euros and over 5 thousand leva hidden in cigarette boxes were found. Nikolov said that no technical inspections of the vehicles have been carried out to confirm whether they are in good condition.
"These are brand new trucks and should not have any damage", he stressed.
Sofia Deputy City Prosecutor Desislava Petrova announced that a report about the crime was filed by the concert organizer. The DAI employees have been detained for up to 72 hours, and a request for a measure of "detention in custody" is pending against them.
"The envisaged punishment is imprisonment for up to six years, a fine of five to 10 thousand leva, deprivation of the right to hold a certain state or public office and to exercise a certain profession or activity, as well as confiscation of up to 1/2 of the property of the guilty party," said Petrova.
The Executive Director of the EA „Automobile Administration“ Slav Monov said that the two arrested have been working at the agency since 2012, and no reports of violations have been filed against them so far.
"An internal inspection has been ordered and I hope we can eradicate such inherited corrupt practices," Monov said.
He reported that the IAAA cars are equipped with cameras, and the recordings in the case are yet to be checked.
Deputy Director of the Directorate of the Bulgarian Anti-Corruption Bureau, Senior Commissioner Dimitar Kitanov, said that at the moment there is no information that the detained employees are part of an organized criminal group.
Earlier today, the Institute for Road Safety (IPB) reported corruption during an inspection of trucks transporting equipment for the British artist's concert, which took place on September 28 at the National Stadium "Vasil Levski".
Transport Minister Grozdan Karadjov announced that the two inspectors who had extorted drivers had been fired, and the chairman of the trade union organization of the "Automobile Administration", Alexander Ivanov, stated that employees of the IAAA are on strike and are demanding the resignation of the entire management of the agency.