Bulgaria's Transport Min Says Resignation Not on Agenda

Bulgarian Transport Minister Ivaylo Moskovski has refused to resign amid calls from a party of junior government ally Reformist Bloc that follow a corruption scandal in the road transport agency.

Moskovski has made clear he is ready to step down at the moment the Prime Minister asks him to do so.

"What happened at the [Road Transport Inspection executive agency] over the past few days is undoubtedly tarnishing the image of the entire Transport Ministry and of course I am ready to bear responsibility in so far as [anyone] could in this aspect," Focus News Agency quotes him as telling reporters.

Last week the Democrats for Strong Bulgaria, a party within the RB coalition that unlike the other parties purports to be in opposition (but still has executive officials including a minister), called for the resignation of Moskovski over a scandal at the road transport agency caused by wrongdoing.

At the end of March, the head of the Road Transport Administration Executive agency was detained alongside a dozen other people over suspected offenses in issuing certificates to road transport companies and driving licenses.

This Tuesday, the director of the Road Transport Inspection Directorate (also known as DAI) with the executive agency was asked to leave for failing to oversee subordinates and thus paving the way for suspected corruption practices.

The government seeks to restructure the state agency, with proposals including a step to take DAI out of it and turn it into a separate agency.

DAI is the directorate in charge of conducting the exams driving licenses, while authorities believe its officials have been involved in malpractices handing out a number of fake documents.

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