Scandal at the City Municipality: Deputy Mayor Ivan Vasilev Resigns Amid Financial Tensions

31.07.2025 | Foreign policy

The chairman of "We Continue the Change" Asen Vasilev commented on the departure of deputy mayor Ivan Vasilev and raised questions to the Bulgarian National Bank regarding banking operations.

Снимка от Гневни Млади, Wikimedia Commons, под CC BY 3.0

Political tension in the city administration escalates after the deputy mayor of finance Ivan Vasilev's decision to leave his post. His official statement was commented on today by the leader of "We Continue the Change" Asen Vasilev during a parliamentary session.

In an internal political context, Vasilev emphasized the principled position that every leader has the sovereign right to form their own management team. This declaration was a direct response to a journalist's question regarding personnel changes in the city executive power.

Parallel to personnel issues, attention was directed to financial matters related to "Municipal Bank". Asen Vasilev announced that he has sent official inquiries to the Bulgarian National Bank about potential violations arising from political formations' banking operations.

Specifically, Vasilev emphasized the circumstance that a materially responsible person sanctioned under the "Magnitsky" law continues to perform financial transactions. His main question to the BNB was whether the operations of "DPS - New Beginning" constitute a regulatory risk.

For his part, Ivan Vasilev confirmed his personal notification to Mayor Vasil Terziev regarding his intention to leave the position of deputy mayor of finance and healthcare. At the same time, he declared readiness to remain in the position until the issue of changing the municipality's servicing bank is resolved.

This political move raises a series of questions about internal dynamics and financial transparency in the city administration, which are yet to be clarified in the coming days.