Mihailova: Sofia cites its constitution as Skopje seeks a search warrant via Interpol

The case of Iva Mihailova, 23, who holds both Bulgarian and Macedonian citizenship, has become a new point of tension between Skopje and Sofia. She is on trial before the court in Kočani over a traffic accident in which one person died, under Articles 300(4) and 297(3) of the Criminal Code. On October 13 the court issued an arrest warrant, and Macedonian authorities asked Interpol for an international search with a view to arrest and extradition. She is accused, not convicted, and the presumption of innocence applies until a verdict.

In Bulgaria her presence became public on October 12. Bulgaria's Interior Ministry said on October 14 that the state does not hand over its own citizens. It cited Article 25(4) of the Bulgarian Constitution, under which a Bulgarian citizen may not be surrendered to another state for criminal prosecution unless an international treaty provides otherwise, and Article 6 of the European Convention on Extradition, which allows a state to refuse extradition of its nationals.

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Reports, however, differ on one detail. Some media write that Bulgaria “will not extradite her”, while Žurnal.mk assesses that the statement does not announce a final decision on the request, only the state's right to refuse. According to the Bulgarian ministry, it had not even tried to locate her, because Interpol had not issued a red notice.

The other question is how she reached Bulgaria. Border Police Director Anton Zlatanov said on October 17 that the border control system has no record of her crossing at an official checkpoint between the two countries, that an investigation is ongoing and that Bulgarian authorities committed no violations at the checkpoints. He said he has an idea how she entered but would not disclose it. On the other side, she and her lawyer Nikolay Dimitrov say she crossed through a checkpoint with identity documents from both countries. The Macedonian Interior Ministry said its system shows no record of her leaving the country.

These two accounts do not agree and cannot be verified from the outside. But that is exactly the key part: if there is no exit record and there is a claim of a regular crossing, the question is whether some system failed to register the crossing or one of the accounts is inaccurate.

From a legal standpoint, refusing to extradite one's own nationals is common practice in Europe and not a purely Bulgarian specificity. That does not mean the matter is closed: a state that refuses can often prosecute on its own territory, but it has not been reported that this is being considered in this case.

What is not known? It is not known whether Bulgaria will issue a formal decision on the request and whether Interpol will issue a notice. It is also unknown how exactly she crossed the border, or whether the Bulgarian investigation will produce results. It is unclear whether the proceedings in Kočani will continue in her absence.

What does it mean? For the family of the victim, what matters most is a court decision, not a political dispute. That is why it matters that the two countries handle this through judicial and police cooperation rather than through further sharpening of relations.

MKNews Hub · Macedonia · October 21, 2026