Milen Ivanov in front of FACTS: As a former prime minister, Kiril Petkov has the right to use an NSO car for four years

The investigation into the serious accident with a NSO car that happened at the entrance to Aksakovo, and in which the former Prime Minister Kiril Petkov was, continues. A pre-trial proceeding was established, and the investigation is conducted by the Military Prosecutor's Office - Sliven. Kiril Petkov was not injured in the accident. In the other car were a man and a woman over 60 years old, and the man died on the spot. The woman was hospitalized in Varna with multiple injuries, her condition remains serious. Who and how can use NSO… Prof. Milen Ivanov, former vice-rector of the Academy of the Ministry of the Interior, spoke to FAKTI.

- Mr. Ivanov, we have witnessed an unpleasant incident with a car of the NSO, in which former Prime Minister Kiril Petkov was also traveling. Given what we see in the pictures, what do you think happened for us to have a road traffic accident (Traffic Accident)…
- To me, this is a typical traffic accident. Things like this happen on the roads all the time. Bad luck, bad coincidence.

- From the photos that have been circulated, can we do a speeding analysis… We heard that the person who died crossed the right-of-way?
- I don't know the place where the accident happened, but it is clear that the car went off the right side of the road, failed to pull out of the road in time and the NSO car hit it. That's the logic. Whether the NSO car was speeding or not… This will be established by the auto technical expertise. From the damage I can see on both the NSO car and the hit car, we can assume that the speed was not much over the speed limit - maybe within 90-100 km/h maximum.

- As a former prime minister, how long can a person use NSO security?
- Four years after the end of his term. This is one hypothesis. The other hypothesis is if he is threatened, if his life and health are threatened. Then there is a procedure to provide him with a car, a driver and a security guard.

- But with all that the law dictates, the former prime minister – whoever he is, he can also give up a car and security after his term ends…
- You can. There is an opt-out procedure.

- What kind of people can ride in the NSO car with the guarded person, if we exclude his family. Are there any restrictions on the use of the car at all, or is it used for everything and in principle?
- Unfortunately, there can be no limit on the number of passengers for politicians, because for them it is a way of life, regardless of what he does and what he does after he has finished being prime minister. The NSO must guard it. Those are the rules. And as for what kind of people can ride inside – any that the protected person and the security guard deem necessary to be in the vehicle. There really is no limit.

- What is the practice - a former prime minister is guarded by one or two people, only by a driver who also acts as a security guard?
- In general, a driver and a security guard are required. As far as I know, Kiril Petkov has refused to have a security guard, probably because no threat has been made against him. If there is such a threat, then a security guard is also assigned to him, and he cannot refuse him, because that is the procedure. Here it is already a question of a decision of a commission whose composition is clear – The Ministry of the Interior, the National Security Service, the National Security Service and other bodies of the services. They assess the level of threat, if any, and decide what the number of guards will be. When we have a threat, the procedure is clear and it should be known that then we abstract from personality, from political bias and so on. Those are just the rules.