More than 5 months have passed since the tragic bus accident in Bulgaria when 45 Macedonian nationals lost their lives. The Bulgarian prosecution finished the investigation about the causes behind the accident, but North Macedonia’s Prosecution is still continuing its investigation, by controlling Besa Trans-Skopje company’s complete operations, but also controlling the institutions which should control company’s operations, informs Portalb.mk .
No one has been prosecuted, even though just in 2021 the bus that crashed in Bulgaria has crossed North Macedonia’s borders 113 times without a transportation license. The prosecution stated it is still working on determining the facts and if a violation is determined, there will be a call for responsibility regardless if it is a criminal or offense.
“Basic Public Prosecution Skopje has started a special case with the goal to check the company’s complete work including the acts by the competent institutions that are supposed to control this company’s operations. These checks are underway. Voluminous material documentation has been secured and more people were questioned in order to determine the facts. If a felony is determined, the Public Prosecution will act in accordance with its authorizations and will persecute. If offense is determined or any other type of law violation, other competent institutions will take over,” stated the Prosecution for Portalb.mk.
Toward the end of January, Customs Administration ended its investigation about Besa Trans and according to its findings, all buses that have been transiting to Istanbul were without a permit. According to Customs Administration, the bus that crashed didn’t pass the border crossings by bribing the officers. Nevertheless, two Customs officers were suspended, and their chief was fined.
On the other hand, the Bulgarian Prosecution has finished the investigation into the causes of the accident. According to the head of the Bulgarian Prosecution’s Investigation Unit Borislav Sarafov, the reason for the accident was the driver losing control over the bus that didn’t break the speed limit, but nevertheless was driving at a speed unapropriate for that section of the motorway.
“It’s a human tragedy without a precedent according to the number of victims, but also without a precedent according to the intensity of work that we conducted. However, the investigation is now closed and what remains is to inform the authorities in Macedonia through the court, taking into account that even the families of the victims have the right be acquainted with the materials from the investigation, said Sarafov, Bulgaria’s Deputy Chief Prosecutor in January.
In the bus accident that happened on the 23rd of November 2021, at the Struma Motorway near Pernik, Bulgaria, 45 people lost their lives, and 7 were injured. They were returning from a tour to Istanbul.
