Bulgaria Probes Municipal Contracts as Two Mayors Face Criminal Charges
Jerusalem, 22 October, 2026 (TPS-IL) -- Sofia (BTA) – Three people, including two municipal mayors, have been detained on suspicion of participating in a criminal conspiracy to engage in influence peddling, Bulgaria’s Interior Ministry said on Thursday. They were detained during a specialised operation conducted by the General Directorate for Combating Organised Crime (GDCOC) and the State Agency for National Security (SANS) in the regions of Burgas and Blagoevgrad. All three have been charged. They will remain in custody for up to 72 hours. The operation was carried out on October 20-21.
They are charged under Article 321(6) of the Penal Code, which criminalizes agreements to commit certain serious offences for financial gain or to exert unlawful influence over public authorities.
According to the evidence gathered so far, the criminal conspiracy was established in Sungurlare Municipality on an undetermined date in early 2024, and the alleged criminal activity continued until October 20, 2026. The formal notices charging the three accused were served on Thursday. The officials are alleged to have committed the offences while serving as municipal mayors.
The Burgas District Prosecution Office is expected to ask the court to remand the three in custody. The third accused is already subject to house arrest in connection with separate pre-trial proceedings.
During the operation, numerous documents relating to public procurement activities in two municipalities were seized. Administrative buildings and private residences in Sungurlare and Belitsa were searched. Numerous witnesses were questioned.
On Wednesday, police led Belitsa Mayor Radoslav Revanski out of the municipal administration building. There was a heightened police presence outside Belitsa Municipality, with police officers, gendarmerie personnel and officers from the General Directorate for Combating Organised Crime at the scene.
Public procurement contracts in Sungurlare Municipality are under investigation, with four contracts believed to be involved, Sungurlare Deputy Mayor Tatyana Ivanova told reporters outside the Regional Directorate of the Interior Ministry in Burgas on Wednesday.
“I cannot tell you exactly what is being investigated. An investigation is under way; let it be completed, and we will find out,” the Deputy Mayor said.
Dozens of people gathered outside the Regional Directorate of the Interior Ministry in Burgas in support of detained Sungurlare Mayor Dimitar Gavazov. They included municipal administration employees, mayors of settlements within Sungurlare Municipality, relatives and other residents.
