A Burgas businessman detained in Germany has accused his partner of draining his bank accounts and leaving him with no money for lawyers, after about five years together. He spoke by phone from a prison hostel in Essen, and the call was filmed.

The woman is Ukrainian. She won the "Mrs Burgas" crown in 2023 and is known in society circles at the seaside. The two have a child, but officially they have no ties. In earlier talks with a reporter, both said their relationship was great and that they were still a couple. There is no information that any charges have been brought against her.

There is a German investigation into the businessman. Before his arrest he worked in accounting and ran several companies, which he says made good profits.

He said he authorised the woman to pay his lawyers and gave her access to his online banking. He claims the lawyers were paid nothing and the accounts were emptied. As a result, he now has too little money for his defence in the German courts.

Items and cash worth tens of thousands of euros have gone missing from his house in central Burgas, the businessman claims. He says about €8,000 in savings was taken, along with a gold Rolex worth around €20,000 and a statuette worth at least €15,000.

He says she left him at the hardest time of his life. He believes the person closest to him betrayed him brutally, and he compares it to murder.

The woman's new boyfriend from Yambol has started to threaten him directly, the businessman says.

He also claims he bought the woman a car and paid for her high standard of living and her wishes. In 2023, he says, he paid €4,600 (9,000 leva) so she could get the "Mrs Burgas" crown.

He is held under relaxed rules at the hostel, and he takes this as a sign that the German authorities do not have enough evidence against him.

In 2021, the businessman says, he sold the company named in the investigation to a German citizen. He says the criminal activity in the case dates from after the sale.