The director of Burgas prison knew in advance that the mayors of Sungurlare and Belitsa would stay in custody, says MP Kalin Stoyanov of the DPS party. He showed reporters correspondence that included letters from the director to the two municipalities.
The letters were sent hours before the court ruled on the preventive measures. They discuss how Sungurlare mayor Dimitar Gavazov and Belitsa mayor Radoslav Revanski would vote from prison. Both are in custody. The letters themselves do not prove the cases were decided in advance.
Hamid Hamid, deputy chair of the DPS group in parliament, believes the arrests are political pressure on the party and its members. "All this points to an organised criminal group at the highest level, which decides who gets arrested," he said.
Burgas regional court kept Sungurlare mayor Dimitar Gavazov and Belitsa mayor Radoslav Revanski in custody on 24 October. It ordered detention, as prosecutors had asked. Their lawyers wanted a lighter measure.
In his view, the moves against the mayors are politically motivated, and the authorities rely on witness statements given under pressure. "We have brought the state to a dictatorship that uses the methods of the former State Security," Hamid said.