Iva Mihailova says she legally crossed into Bulgaria
Both passports were taken from the woman charged over a fatal crash, and North Macedonia's Interior Ministry says no exit was logged, while Sofia wants her questioned.
The case of Iva Mihailova, a citizen of North Macedonia and Bulgaria who is on trial in Kocani over a traffic crash that killed one person, has turned into an open dispute between Skopje and Sofia, two capitals that both border Serbia. According to Macedonian and Bulgarian media, as relayed by Telegraf on October 12, the defendant turned up in Bulgaria even though court measures took away both her passports and barred her from leaving the country. North Macedonia’s Interior Ministry (MUP) says no lawful exit by her was recorded. She and her Bulgarian lawyer say the opposite.
A note on sourcing: the border crossing and the reactions to it are described by a single outlet, Telegraf, which cites Macedonian and Bulgarian media. There is no independent confirmation of that part of the story, so everything below about the crossing is attributed to the people who said it.
What is Iva Mihailova charged with?
Iva Mihailova of Kocani is charged with a serious offense against traffic safety over a crash in October 2025 in which one person died and several were injured, the defendant among them. Prosecutors say she drove above the permitted speed and crossed into the oncoming lane. The defense disputes this with its own expert report, which concludes that Mihailova broke no rule on speed or vehicle position.
The trial at the Basic Court in Kocani began on July 6, and the next hearing is set for early November. The court imposed precautionary measures on her and described them itself as follows:
“Precautionary measures have been imposed on this person: her Macedonian and Bulgarian travel documents have been taken, she is barred from leaving the country on her ID card, barred from leaving her place of residence, and required to report to the police in Kocani every Monday at 10 a.m.”
The Basic Court in Kocani says it has received no notice so far that Mihailova broke any of the measures.
What do Mihailova and her lawyers say?
Mihailova made her statement from the Bulgarian border crossing, alongside Bulgarian lawyer Nikolay Dimitrov. She gave medical treatment as the reason for leaving but did not announce a return for the November hearing. She called the crossing “completely legal” and said of what comes next: “Now I am supposed to be admitted to the Pirogov hospital and start treatment.” She added that she had met her lawyer in front of the border “yesterday.”
Dimitrov described the crossing itself:
“Bulgaria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs is working through its diplomatic channels. Our route is not so diplomatic, but in this case it had to be done this way. At the border crossing we showed our documents and went through. The people on the Macedonian side were told this was Iva Mihailova, nobody said anything to us.”
Her Macedonian lawyer, Naser Raufi, says he knew nothing about a plan to leave. He told Macedonian media:
“To be honest with you, I am taken aback by this situation. Still, I consider her departure justified, given Iva Mihailova’s state of health. This is not an escape at all, and I would say the reasons for her leaving are purely medical.”
According to Raufi, his client needed medical care that could only be provided in Bulgaria.
What do the Macedonian Interior Ministry and Sofia say?
MUP spokesman Goce Andrejevski announced the results of a check, including one run through the Joint Contact Center with Bulgaria:
“MUP carried out checks in the border control system and established that no exit from the territory of the Republic of Macedonia was recorded for Iva Mihailova, who is under an active court ban. In addition, checks were made through the Joint Contact Center with the Republic of Bulgaria by the Bulgarian border police, from which we received information that no legal entry into the territory of the Republic of Bulgaria was recorded for this person.”
Bulgarian Interior Minister Ivan Demerdzhiev said measures would be taken to have Mihailova questioned and to establish when, where and how she crossed the border. So while one side says the crossing was lawful, the other says there is no record of it, and how it happened is left to a future check.
Why had Sofia already taken Mihailova’s side?
The Bulgarian state has also stepped in officially. Prime Minister Rumen Radev said at a briefing in Pleven that the Foreign Ministry had prepared a protest note over the case and that the state had taken over Mihailova’s defense. Radev’s remarks were published in English by BTA, and the translation below is ours:
“Bulgaria does not interfere in the court proceedings of other states, but we are in constant contact with Mihailova and her family. Our consul in Skopje continues to provide assistance. The state has taken responsibility for Mihailova’s legal defense. There are active talks at the level of the foreign ministries.”
Radev thanked the lawmakers who brought the case before the European public, as well as President Iliana Yotova for her clear position, and then added: “We are not interfering, but this trial and the whole treatment of Mihailova run against common sense and basic humanitarian principles.” In its background on the case, BTA says that taking away her documents made treatment in Bulgaria impossible for her, and that Bulgaria is one of the countries where it can be done, given the nature of her spinal injuries.
The sources available to us do not say whether Mihailova has already been questioned in Bulgaria, or whether she will appear at the hearing in Kocani in early November.
