Ministry of Interior checks ATV incident in Sunny Beach

MIA checks following the ATV incident in Sunny Beach

The checks for the serious incident in Sunny Beach are expanding after the Minister of Interior and the police leadership personally intervened in the case. The Ministry of Interior is launching a second consecutive check regarding the actions of police authorities and officials after the serious ATV incident that shook the seaside resort on August 14. This is done by order of the Minister of Interior, Daniel Mitov, and by order of the director of the General Directorate "National Police", Chief Commissioner Zahari Vaskov, as reported by the ministry.

The new check was initiated after a signal was filed by the victims' relatives, which raises questions about the adequacy of the initial actions of the law enforcement authorities. We remind you that the first check in the case was ordered by the director of the Regional Directorate of the Ministry of Interior in Burgas (RDMI - Burgas), Senior Commissioner Vladimir Marinov.

Details of the tragedy and the investigation

The tragedy took place on August 14, when five people, including three children, were injured in a road accident involving a rented motor vehicle, driven by an 18-year-old. Witnesses at the scene of the incident spoke of the shocking sight, and medical teams arrived at the scene to provide assistance to the injured. It later became clear that a small child and a woman were admitted to the intensive care unit of the University Multiprofile Hospital for Active Treatment in Burgas.

The case gained even wider resonance when the District Prosecutor's Office in Burgas announced that they were supervising a pre-trial investigation. Later, the district prosecutor Maria Markova confirmed that the parents of the detained youth were employees of the Ministry of Interior, which raised serious concerns about a possible interference in the investigation. To avoid "speculations that there is interference to cover up facts and circumstances", the director of the "Security Police and Traffic Police" at RDMI - Burgas, Commissioner Marin Dimitrov, announced the start of an internal check.

The development of events continued to keep the public in suspense. On August 18, the court in Nesebar imposed a measure of restraint of "house arrest" for the 18-year-old driver, accused of causing medium bodily harm to five pedestrians.

The court's decision caused a storm of discontent, provoking protests in Burgas, Sofia, and Plovdiv. A protest against the measure was immediately filed by the District Prosecutor's Office in Burgas.

Reactions and final decision

The case also reached the highest level in the judicial system. On August 21, the acting Chief Prosecutor Borislav Sarafov requested the pre-trial investigation from the prosecutor's office in Burgas, in view of his powers to assign the investigation to the National Investigation Service (NIS). Just a day later, on August 22, the District Court in Burgas overturned the initial court decision and imposed the most severe measure of restraint "detention in custody" against 18-year-old Nikola Burgazliev. This act of justice brought some relief among the angry public and showed the determination of the judiciary to approach the incident with the full severity of the law.