The public contracts worth about €7m that led to charges against the mayors of Sungurlare and Belitsa all belong to Sungurlare council. Belitsa council is not part of the case, Burgas deputy regional prosecutor Miroslav Iliev said.
It was first reported that the contracts under investigation belonged to both councils. They are for building streets and repairing public buildings in Sungurlare.
Earlier on this story: Mayors of Sungurlare and Belitsa charged with influence peddling
Burgas regional prosecutors have charged Sungurlare mayor Dimitar Gavazov, Belitsa mayor Radoslav Revanski and Hristo Shirokov with influence peddling. All three are charged under Article 321, paragraph 6 of the Criminal Code. Prosecutors say Gavazov and Revanski acted as mayors and conspired with Shirokov.
Prosecutors say Gavazov influenced staff on the procurement committees. Shirokov, not the mayors, found the firms, Iliev said.
Prosecutors say the evidence so far shows the conspiracy was formed in Sungurlare, on a day not yet established in early 2024. It lasted until 20 October 2026.
The two mayors are being held for up to 72 hours. Prosecutors will ask a court to remand them in custody.
Shirokov is also charged in another pre-trial case, where he is under house arrest.
The arrests followed a special operation by GDBOP, Bulgaria's organised crime agency. Officers searched administrative buildings and homes in Sungurlare and Belitsa and seized documents on both councils' public contracts. Many witnesses have been questioned.
Sungurlare mayor Dimitar Gavazov was arrested on Tuesday, 20 October, in an operation by GDBOP and the State Agency for National Security (DANS). Belitsa mayor Radoslav Revanski was detained on Wednesday, 21 October. On 22 October the Burgas regional prosecutor's office announced the charges against them.
Expert reports will show how much the budget may have lost, and a financial audit will check the accounts of Sungurlare council.