Bochvarski: Transport Ministry at disposal of Bulgaria bus accident investigation
Skopje, 6 December 2021 (MIA) – There are institutions charged with investigating the bus accident and establishing accountability in order to detect the shortcomings. In line with that, those who should will be held accountable, said Transport Minister Blagoj Bochvarski when asked about the responsibility of his ministry following the accident that claimed the lives of 45 passengers and left seven injured.
“In line with the ministry’s authorization, the issuing of licenses is uninterrupted so far, licenses have been issued to companies asking for permits to conduct transportation as well as licenses for their vehicles,” he told reporters on Mondays.
The Ministry, Bochvarski said, has checked two drivers of the bus and once we get a information from the prosecution’s office or the police about who the two other drivers were, the Ministry will also check the database to find anything on them.
All documents in our database on the company have been handed over to the prosecution’s office, he added.
“We are at the disposal of investigators. I wouldn’t want the Ministry to turn into an investigative body. It is important the investigation to be in line with the procedures and we’re at disposal to provide all necessary documents and information,” Bochvarski stressed.
In the aftermath of the November bus accident in Bulgaria, the Transport Ministry revoked the work license of Besa Trans, the company whose bus caught fire on a highway while returning to North Macedonia from a weekend trip to Istanbul. The company had no permit for international free transportation of passengers or any other kind of public transportation of passengers.