A large-scale corruption network for trading in driver's licenses operates under the umbrella of the Executive Agency "Automobile Administration". Inspectors from the former DAI collect huge bribes, with their weekly unregulated income often exceeding the amount of two of their official monthly salaries. The scandalous revelations were made by the former Deputy Minister of Transport and current expert at the European Center for Transport Policies Angel Popov during a participation in the "Telegraph Podcast".
According to the expert, state control is completely compromised, and buying driving licenses has become a lucrative business that directly kills people on the roads of Bulgaria.
The main mechanism of the corruption scheme is through complete turning a blind eye on the part of the control authorities. Angel Popov categorically stated that training centers operate in the country that do not even have basic material resources.
"The scheme is a fact. The tragic thing is that the number of children who died has increased," Popov said, quoted by NOVA.
The former deputy minister explained that the State Traffic Safety Inspectorate inspectors are massively drawing up fictitious protocols during inspections of driving schools. Many of the training centers for young drivers do not even have classrooms for theoretical training, but nevertheless continue to operate undisturbed, thanks to the systematic payment of a "peace of mind" fee to the examiners. It has been established that such vicious practices are concentrated mainly in Northern and Southern Bulgaria, as well as in the region around Plovdiv.
Another key link in the scheme for draining money and creating incompetent drivers is the exam process. Candidates en masse fictitiously enroll in a driving school in one city, but take a practical exam in a completely different area, where they are provided with access to the "right person" among the examiners in advance.
The price for guaranteed passing the exam varies, but according to the expert, it exceeds the standard fee for the driving course by several hundred euros. This creates a stream of illiterate drivers who literally buy the right to drive a car without knowing the traffic rules.
According to specialists from the European Center for Transport Policies, the spread of corruption has a direct and bloody dimension. The lack of real training and fictitious exams are among the main reasons for the severe road traumatism in the country.
In order to stop the war on the roads, institutions must impose draconian control over the activities of driving schools and clear the ranks of the Executive Agency "Automobile Administration" of compromised employees. Angel Popov concluded that in addition to dealing with corruption, the state is obliged to urgently redesign road facilities and build adequate safety infrastructure.