Minister of Regional Development on the Resignation of Motorway Construction Company Chief: There Was No Conflict or Problem

The executive director of the state-owned motorway construction company Avtomagistrali, Ivan Kunev, has resigned.

The Regional Development Minister announced this on October 5 during a meeting as part of the “Regions Speak” initiative. The minister said the resignation was submitted for personal reasons and that Kunev had not been subjected to any pressure.

Head of Motorway Construction Company 'Avtomagistrali', Has Resigned

Regional Development Minister Ivan Shishkov said he had been surprised by the resignation of Avtomagistrali director Ivan Kunev.

Ivan Shishkov – Regional Development Minister: “He did not inform me. Personal reasons. I do not want to intrude into anyone’s private life. There was neither a conflict nor a problem.”

In a letter sent to the media, the Road Safety Institute presented a different version of events. According to the organisation, the state-owned company had been put under strong pressure to install crash barriers without certificates, installation instructions, approved designs or contracts being provided. The organisation claims that the barriers were manufactured by a Turkish company. Days ago, the institute released footage of newly installed barriers on the Hemus motorway, which it claimed had not been properly secured.

Ivan Shishkov – Minister of Regional Development: “He certainly did not leave because of the crash barriers. The barriers that Avtomagistrali had purchased are not the ones that are not the ones that made headlines in crime reports or were mentioned in speeches of the Interior Minister, not the Regional Development Minister, and that is the problem. These barriers have certificates and they were replaced in an emergency situation.”

Shishkov described the scandal as a storm in a teacup.

Ivan Shishkov—Minister of Regional Development: “Whoever is currently stirring up this whole storm in a teacup is most likely dissatisfied with the fact that many things have already changed in Bulgaria.”

BNT contacted Kunev for comment, but the company did not respond to our enquiries. The resigning director had been in the post for less than three months, having been appointed by the Regional Development Minister in mid-July.