21 foreigners have quit Bulgaria in past two years after causing fatal car crashes and injuries – report

Twenty-one foreigners responsible for fatalities and injuries in car crashes in the past two years had fled the country, local television station bTV said.

It said that its examination of the records had shown that only one of the foreigners had been brought back to Bulgaria to face a court.

From 2013 to 2016, out of 47 000 fines issued to foreigners by traffic police, only about 4000 had been paid.

In 2016, police issued more than 17 000 fines to foreigners. Only 670 were paid.

According to bTV, the most common offenders among foreign citizens were Turkish citizens.

The report said that practice whether to remand offenders in custody or release them pending trial was “contradictory,” according to the report.

If a motorist has no previous offences, the court assumes that there is no danger of absconding.

The report said that “experts” would discuss with legislators changes to the law so that a foreign citizen should have a permanent address dating back three months prior to the accident, to be allowed to be transferred to house arrest.

Urgent amendments to the law were needed to terminate the practice of foreigners who had caused deaths and injuries in vehicle accidents being placed under house arrest, the report said.

 

(Photo: Gabriella Fabbri)

/Panorama

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