The Institute for Road Safety raised questions about an appointment to the National Toll Administration, allegations of pressure on the management of the “Road Infrastructure“ Agency and a public procurement for nearly 8 million leva.
In its position, the organization states that by order No. ЧР-ТП-НТУ-659/13.10.2026, the daughter of Diana Rusinova from the European Center for Transport Policies was appointed. The Institute of Public Transport does not specify the name of the appointed employee, nor does it publish in the text of the position details about the position and the selection procedure.
According to the institute, the appointment was made at a time when the National Toll Administration is facing serious layoffs and there is tension among employees due to the uncertainty surrounding their jobs.
The Institute claims that the head of the RIA opposed the appointment for more than a month, but was subsequently pressured by the Minister of Regional Development to make it happen. This claim has not been independently confirmed in the published materials.
The organization insists on clarifying who made the final decision, how the selection was conducted and what professional criteria were applied.
“This is not evidence in itself of a violation, but it is sufficient grounds for an independent investigation and full transparency“, the Institute for Road Safety states.The position also raises questions about the relationship between Diana Rusinova and Oleg Asenov, who heads the National Toll Administration. The Institute claims that Asenov was a member of an organization associated with Rusinova and wants to clarify whether these relationships had any bearing on the personnel decision.
Separately, the organization raises questions about Asenov's role in the preparation and award of a public procurement contract for nearly 8 million leva. It is presented as a solution for examining and identifying road defects using high-tech methods.
IPB insists on checking how the contract was awarded, what the technical requirements were, who participated in its preparation and whether the conditions guaranteed real competition.
The institute emphasizes that it does not claim that an appointment automatically proves dependence. However, the organization insists that professional criteria apply equally to everyone and that public institutions should not be used to neutralize criticism.
IPB expects the President, the Prime Minister and the Minister of Regional Development to provide specific answers, documents and verification of the circumstances presented. As of the publication of the position, no data on the official result of such a verification has been presented.