Dozens of people gathered outside the Palace of Justice in Burgas today, 22 October, to back the detained mayors of Sungurlare and Belitsa. Yesterday, relatives of the Sungurlare mayor protested outside the regional police directorate (ODMVR) in Burgas.

Burgas district prosecutors have charged three people with conspiring to trade in influence, the Burgas district and appeals prosecutors said. Two of them are mayors.

What happened earlier: Relatives of detained Sungurlare mayor protest outside regional police directorate in Burgas

The three charged are engineer Dimitar Gavazov, mayor of Sungurlare, Radoslav Revanski, mayor of Belitsa, and Hristo Shirokov, the Burgas regional leader of the DPS party.

Prosecutors say the two mayors agreed with each other and with Shirokov to trade in influence in Bulgaria, and that they acted as mayors of their municipalities. The charge falls under Article 321, paragraph 6 of the Criminal Code.

Evidence gathered so far shows the conspiracy began in Sungurlare on an unknown date in early 2024, prosecutors say. They believe it lasted until 20 October 2026, more than two years.

A special operation by the organised crime directorate GDBOP and the state security agency DANS reached Gavazov on Tuesday, 20 October. Officers arrested him in the municipal building. Revanski was detained on 21 October and taken to the remand centre in Burgas. Both are being held for up to 72 hours.

During the operation, investigators seized many documents on public contracts from both municipalities. They searched offices and homes in Sungurlare and Belitsa and questioned many witnesses.

Shirokov is already under house arrest in a separate pre-trial case.

The protesters outside the court included relatives of the accused, supporters, municipal staff and residents of Sungurlare, as well as people from Belitsa, Yambol, Yakoruda and Sliven. The protest was peaceful, and those taking part say they want justice. They say Gavazov's arrest is unlawful.

Burgas district prosecutors will ask the court to keep both mayors in custody. The court is expected to hear the request late this afternoon.