Large-scale police operation starts against drug driving after a deadly car crash in Sofia

From tonight, a large-scale operation against drug-driving starts across the whole country, outgoing Prime Minister Kiril Petkov said at a briefing July 7 in relations to the serious crash in Sofia, in which two young women were killed and taxi driver was injured after former football player Georgi Semerdzhiev, ran a red light at a large intersection.

The accident caused strong public reaction after it transpired that the perpetrator, Georgi Semerdzhiev, was driving under the influence of drugs, had been driving with a suspended license and had more than 50 prior violation of traffic rules. He was arrested in a special police operation on July 6.

Today we decided to declare war on all recidivists. Yesterday's tragedy was caused by driving under the influence of drugs and alcohol. No one should be above the law, the outgoing Prime Minister said.

Minister of Interior, Boyko Rashkov, confirmed that a police officer had assisted the perpetrator Georgi Semerdzhiev after the accident.

"She has relations with him, what they are exactly - is to be clarified in the course of the investigation. There (in Semerdzhiev's car) were found such objects, which are used by police officers - a blue lamp, a baton. There is hardly any reason for there to be objects in this man's car that are used only by the police," he said.

Rashkov said he is awaiting information about another witness who is currently being questioned and is likely to confirm the information. At the end of the briefing, however, he said the woman had not appeared in the investigation office.

"As soon as the appropriate conclusions are drawn and the inability to perform police duties is proven, I will do everything possible as minister to part with these officers," he was adamant.

"We will try to clarify in detail the case related to Semerdzhiev. Including if there is sufficient evidence of some degree of complicity of Ministry of Interior officials. Including any cases we already suspect that had been neglected to some degree. And whether someone has indirectly caused this tragic result," he said.

Rashkov also reported that Georgi Semerdzhiev has been without a driving license since 2005, but has driven various vehicles to this day. Ministry of Interior authorities have taken dozens of actions on Semerdzhiev's previous violations. They have also sent files to the Prosecutor's office, but the Prosecutor’s office returned them with instructions to impose only administrative fines.

"I would like to tell you that during the past 6 years, Georgi Semerdzhiev had a great opportunity after his driving licence was revoked, to take a driving test and get a new one. We have indisputable evidence that instead of doing that, he tried to get a driving licence from Switzerland. From there, we received data that no such document was issued to a Bulgarian citizen," said outgoing minister Boyko Rashkov.

The Minister has ordered the Ministry of Interior Inspectorate to undertake immediate inspections of all cases in which Georgi Semerdzhiev broke the law and, respectively, whether Ministry of Interior officials did their job.

Georgi Semerdzhiev had indeed been a witness in a drug distribution case, but this in no way put him in any privileged position, Boyko Rashkov further said. Some time ago, Semerdzhiev was caught with about half a kilo of marijuana and about 300-400 grams of cocaine, and the trial in that case did not proceed as pert he requirement of the usual order.

"The prosecutor and Semerdzhiev's defence have agreed to an eight-month imrionmen. It has now been established that after he was released from prison, he was kept at an address in the fifth district of the capital ("Oborishte") and there was no police surveillance regarding this person," the minister said.