The Court Case in Kocani: Will Iva Mihaylova Be Allowed to Receive Medical Treatment in Bulgaria?

There were a number of contradictions in the testimony of the witnesses questioned in the case against Iva Mihaylova in Kočani, in North Macedonia. We told her story exclusively on BNT. Iva was injured in a road traffic accident between Kocani and Stip and, since October, has been unable to leave her home town to receive medical treatment.

Nine witnesses were summoned to today's hearing, July 29. Two failed to appear, while the questioning of one witness was postponed until tomorrow morning, as it is expected to last at least several hours.

Today, the driver of the vehicle that collided with Iva Mihaylova's car gave evidence. He said he remembered travelling from Skopje to Berovo but could not recall whom he was going to meet or for what purpose. He remembered driving behind a van without registration plates and therefore assumed that the van had been stopped for inspection by police before the turn-off into Kocani. However, he said he could not remember exactly how the collision occurred.

The front-seat passenger also said he had seen nothing because he had turned to his right seconds before the impact and therefore did not witness how the collision happened. The passenger in the rear seat was speaking on his mobile phone at the time and likewise said he had not seen how the collision occurred.

A driver travelling behind that vehicle told the court that he had also turned to his right to look at the vehicle being inspected and, as a result, did not see how the collision happened.

Of the police officers carrying out vehicle checks, one officer said she had her back to the scene of the collision and only heard the impact. The other officer said that he and his colleague had been watching traffic travelling from Stip towards Kocani and had also not witnessed the collision.

• Contradictions in the testimony in the case against Iva Mihaylova are deepening

In fact, it turned out today that not a single witness claims that Iva Mihaylova drove into oncoming traffic, thereby causing the serious accident.

Her lawyers today submitted to the court an expert medical opinion prepared by five doctors, stating that her health condition is deteriorating and that she needs treatment. According to the opinion, the treatment she needs is not available in the Republic of North Macedonia. On that basis, they once again asked the court to allow Iva to travel to Bulgaria for medical treatment.

The trial continues tomorrow. It is possible that as early as tomorrow, or in the days that follow, the court will rule on whether Iva Mihaylova will finally be permitted to travel to Bulgaria for treatment.