Prime Minister Gyurov ordered a comprehensive audit of the Road Infrastructure Agency

Acting Prime Minister Andrey Gyurov announced a no-holds-barred audit of the Road Infrastructure Agency (RIA) after it became clear that the budget for road repairs, intended for a four-year period, had been almost entirely exhausted in just one year. In strong terms, Gyurov described the corrupt practices in the sector not merely as financial damage, but as a direct threat to citizens’ safety.

If, in a country with so many victims, corruption is eating away at the funds for repairs, maintenance, and guardrails—this is not just theft of money, it is theft of lives,” Gyurov stated emphatically.

The prime minister raised the question of how it is possible to maintain and secure the roads once the funds have been spent, and called on the Ministry of the Interior to investigate any suspicion of a crime swiftly and without compromise.

The focus of the investigation is on a half-billion-euro mega-contract for safety barriers, signed in the final hours before the change of government. The procedure was announced under conditions of an “information blackout.” Documents were uploaded retroactively, and the selection of contractors was finalized just before the change of government.

Furthermore, media reports revealed that the value of the four-year contracts for routine maintenance had been drastically increased through addenda totaling 800 million euros. This reached the maximum legal threshold, which allows for addenda of up to 50% of the initial value.

An investigation by the “Anti-Corruption Fund” revealed that the state was paying 7.1 million euros per month for 24/7 roadside assistance to a company owned by a person with a criminal record. A service that drivers were not even informed was free, turning the company into an artificial monopoly.

Translated with DeepL.