Iva Mihajlova requests to join Kochani trial online; prosecution seeks new medical expertise

On November 9, 2026, 23-year-old Iva Mihajlova asked to take part remotely in the criminal trial in Kochani where she is accused in a fatal traffic crash, while the prosecution has requested an additional expert review of her medical records.

Medical evidence and access

The trial in the Basic Court in Kochani resumed with testimony from two expert witnesses. Prosecutors said they will seek further expert assessment of Mihajlova’s medical documentation and the necessity of treatment abroad.

In an interview with Bulgarian National Television (BNT), Mihajlova said she believes two expert reports confirm her innocence and that she still suffers health consequences after the crash. According to her statements, she did not receive adequate treatment in North Macedonia and therefore went to Bulgaria.

Mihajlova told BNT that she arrived in Bulgaria on October 12 to obtain medical care for injuries sustained in the crash, in which one person died and several others were injured. She said treatment in Bulgaria began three to four weeks ago and that rehabilitation started only recently; she could not say how long recovery would take.

The prosecution has already decided to try Mihajlova in absentia after the Basic Public Prosecutor’s Office in Kochani concluded she was not available to state authorities. The crash took place last year on the Kochani–Shtip expressway.

Authorities say both Mihajlova’s Macedonian and Bulgarian passports had been seized as part of measures to prevent leaving the country, but that she nonetheless left for Bulgaria; how she crossed the border is under investigation. An international arrest warrant has been issued for her; her father, Simeon Mihajlov, is also wanted after leaving the country following a sentence of 12 and a half years in the “Detonator” case.

Photo: press material from the event