The director of ViK – Burgas faces charges, while an elderly couple is still waiting for answers regarding bills of hundreds of euros
The executive director of "ViK" – Burgas, Tsvetan Mirchev, and another employee of the company have been named as defendants, BNT reported, citing information from the Burgas prosecutor's office.
According to the national television's publication, the company's director has been charged with intentional mismanagement, and the other employee with aiding and abetting. Both have been detained for up to 72 hours. The prosecutor's office is expected to provide more details regarding the investigation and the operation of the GDBOP (General Directorate for Combating Organized Crime) at ViK – Burgas.
Important clarification: at the moment, there is no public data indicating that current criminal proceedings are related to specific consumer complaints about high water bills. The two cases are different and should not be presented as directly connected.
But the news once again brings into focus the public interest in the management of "ViK" – Burgas and the way the company responds to citizens who dispute charges.
The case that BurgasMedia has already written about
BurgasMedia previously reported on an elderly couple from Burgas who are disputing water charges amounting to about 650 euros. The case is from the "Meden Rudnik" residential complex, block 611, in a new building commissioned in 2023.
The previous publication can be read here:
Two elderly people live in the home. According to information provided to the editorial office by the family, their usual water bills were about 30–40 euros per month. In certain periods, however, the charges suddenly jumped to about 180–190 euros per month.
The family claims there is no leak, no humidity, no flooding, no damage, no change in the plumbing installation, and no change in the consumption pattern. The apartment has been recently renovated and is located on the top floor.
Complaints to institutions, but without a clear answer on the merits
Regarding the case, according to documents provided to BurgasMedia, complaints and reports have been submitted to:
- The Energy and Water Regulatory Commission;
- The Ombudsman of the Republic of Bulgaria;
- Burgas District Administration;
- Municipality of Burgas;
- The Public Mediator of Burgas Municipality;
- "ViK" EAD – Burgas.
Despite this, according to the family, no clear and specific answer has been received so far to the main questions: why were amounts many times higher than usual consumption charged in certain months; why were there sudden abnormal spikes in one of the water meters; was a real technical inspection performed on the physical integrity of the water meters and remote reading; and is there evidence of a leak.
According to the documents provided, some of the invoices for one of the water meters recorded unusually high quantities — on the order of 48–49 cubic meters for a single billing period, after which consumption normalized again. Later, ViK issued a credit note for another disputed invoice, but the family claims that similar previous periods were not handled in the same way.
Letters signed by Tsvetan Mirchev and warnings of judicial collection
According to documents provided to the editorial office, the responses from "ViK" EAD – Burgas on the case were signed by executive director Tsvetan Mirchev.
In the final response sent to the family and copied to institutions, ViK states that the company has carried out the necessary actions and determined that the reported and charged quantities of water are correct. The same letter states that if the consumer wishes for the individual water meters to be dismantled and sent for metrological verification at an authorized laboratory, it is necessary to submit an application and pay the corresponding fee.
At the end of the letter, however, it is again stated that as of 10.06.2026, there is an outstanding debt on the account amounting to 607.54 euros, excluding interest, which is subject to collection through judicial proceedings.
The family perceives these formulations as pressure, since the dispute is pending before several institutions, and, according to them, no concrete answer has been given to the questions raised. Particularly sensitive is the fact that the account holder is an elderly person, nearly 80 years old.
What is the main question?
The family does not claim they should not pay for water actually consumed. On the contrary, their position is that they are disputing specific charges which, in their view, do not correspond to actual consumption, billing history, and the factual situation in the apartment.
According to them, ViK – Burgas has not clearly answered several key questions:
- was a real inspection performed on the physical integrity of the water meters;
- was the movement of the water meters checked while taps were closed;
- were the radio modules and remote reading logs checked;
- is there a specific protocol, photos, or measurements proving a leak;
- why are there abnormally high values in some periods, and immediately after that, consumption normalizes;
- why was a credit note issued for one of the disputed invoices, while other similar periods were not corrected.
The charges against the director and the civil complaints are different topics, but the context is the same
The news about the charges brought against the executive director of ViK – Burgas, Tsvetan Mirchev, does not prove anything regarding the specific consumer dispute of the elderly family. Each case has its own factual and legal framework. The presumption of innocence also applies until proven otherwise by legal procedure.
But when the director of a public company is named as a defendant, while at the same time citizens claim they are not receiving specific answers to their complaints and are receiving warnings of judicial collection for a disputed debt, the public interest in the transparency and accountability of the company becomes even stronger.
In the case of the elderly family from "Meden Rudnik", the question remains: why, despite repeated complaints to institutions, does the family still claim there is no concrete technical answer on the merits, while ViK's letters continue to place emphasis on collecting the amount through judicial proceedings?
BurgasMedia will follow the topic
BurgasMedia will monitor both the progress of the case regarding the charges against the director of ViK – Burgas and the response of the institutions to the filed civil complaints regarding the disputed charges.
The editorial office remains ready to publish a position from "ViK" EAD – Burgas, as well as opinions from the competent institutions.