Burgas Court of Appeal will hear appeals tomorrow, 29 October, at 2pm against the arrest of Sungurlare mayor Dimitar Gavazov and Belitsa mayor Radoslav Revanski. Gavazov's supporters will gather outside the Palace of Justice, as they did last Thursday.
On Tuesday 20 October, the organised crime directorate GDBOP and the State Agency for National Security (DANS) checked public procurement documents at Sungurlare council, and the mayor was detained. On Wednesday, dozens of people backed him outside the regional police directorate in Burgas. On Thursday 22 October, Burgas Regional Court kept Gavazov and Revanski in custody at the request of prosecutors.
More on this story: Sungurlare staff and residents rally outside Burgas court to back their mayor
Nearly 200 people stood outside the staff entrance of the Palace of Justice that day. They were Sungurlare residents, council staff, and friends and political allies of the mayor. After the court ruled, some of them surrounded the court security van that was taking the detainees away and voiced their disagreement.
Prosecutors have charged Gavazov, Revanski and Hristo Shirokov, the Burgas regional head of the DPS party, with conspiracy to trade in influence. The charge says it lasted from the start of 2024 to 20 October 2026. The inquiry covers public procurement and the links between the people involved in it. The claims still have to be proved in the criminal case.
The Court of Appeal will not rule on guilt. It will only decide whether there are legal grounds to keep the men in custody.
People will meet at 1pm, an hour before the hearing. In the invitation on social media, Gavazov appears in front of the Bulgarian flag, with the words "Together we are stronger!" The organisers invite relatives, friends and allies and expect dozens of people. They say the gesture is symbolic, shows solidarity and is not meant to interfere with the court's work.
In letters, Sungurlare residents say that in the past three years Gavazov has done more for the municipality than his predecessors did in three decades. They point to local infrastructure, renovated public buildings and his attitude to people in the villages. For the mayor's supporters, the repairs and investment during his term are the strongest argument in his defence.
Some of the letter writers call the arrest political. They say the investigation should not become a public verdict before the court has established the facts.
A Sungurlare resident who backs neither the DPS nor GERB said he respects the mayor for what he has done for the municipality, for his character and his attitude to people, not for his party. He called for local leaders to be judged by their work, not only by their party.
Erdal Yusuf, the DPS chairman in Sungurlare, also publicly backed Gavazov: "Three years of work can show more than 33 years of promises. The deeds remain, the results can be seen, and people remember."