The mayors of Sungurlare and Belitsa and a third person have been charged with taking part in a criminal group that traded in influence, the Interior Ministry press office said. Police from the organised crime unit (GDBOP) and the State Agency for National Security (DANS) detained the three on 20 and 21 October in a joint operation in the Burgas and Blagoevgrad regions.
Sungurlare mayor Dimitar Gavazov was arrested on Tuesday. On Wednesday, dozens of people gathered outside the Interior Ministry's regional directorate in Burgas to support him. They included town hall staff, village mayors from Sungurlare municipality, relatives and residents.
Where it began: Relatives of detained Sungurlare mayor protest outside Burgas regional police directorate
In Belitsa, police led mayor Radoslav Revanski out of the town hall on 21 October. Many police officers, gendarmes and GDBOP staff were outside the building.
The ministry says the two mayors are charged as public officials who acted in their roles as mayors. Evidence gathered so far shows the group formed in Sungurlare municipality in early 2024, on a date not yet established, and was active until 20 October 2026.
Investigators handed the three their charge papers today, 22 October. They can be held for up to 72 hours. Burgas district prosecutors will ask a court to keep all three in custody. The third person charged is already under house arrest in another pre-trial case.
During the operation, officers searched administrative buildings and homes in Sungurlare and Belitsa. Investigators questioned many witnesses and seized many documents on public procurement contracts in the two municipalities.
Sungurlare deputy mayor Tatyana Ivanova said outside the regional directorate that police are checking public procurement contracts of the municipality, probably four. "I can't tell you exactly what is being investigated. There is an investigation, let it finish, and we will find out," she added.