Ardino Municipality Employee Detained Over Rural Road Public Procurement

A municipal employee from the town of Ardino (Southern Bulgaria) has been detained in connection with a public procurement for the repair of a rural road dating back to 2024. According to investigators, less asphalt was laid than specified in the project, resulting in an estimated loss to the state budget of nearly 300,000 leva. This is one of several inspections into road repairs in the Kardzhali region following the Interior Minister’s signal regarding dual-lane roads being reduced to single-lane roads.

The problematic project concerns the road between the villages of Zhultusha and Sedlartsi. The public procurement is worth 6.3 million leva, (BGN) of which 1.3 million has already been paid.

Chief Inspector Radoslav Uzunov: “We have established that the asphalt laid does not meet the technical specifications in the project. Its thickness is less than the required 6 centimetres, and the estimated damage amounts to around 300,000 leva (BGN).”

Work on the project began this spring, after Sedlartsi had not seen new asphalt for 42 years.

Local official Yovcho Gadjalov, mayor’s representative for Sedlartsi: “Personally, I had no issues, because the workers were operating quickly and efficiently.”

However, residents expressed dissatisfaction, saying the road is narrow and dangerous.

Resident Raycho Filipov:“My garage is right here – I cannot take my car out. Others here have garages too. They also cannot take their cars out. When a second car arrives, nobody wants to give way, and it has remained narrow.”

In the Kardzhali region, 27 public procurement contracts are currently under review, with 8 already submitted to the Prosecutor's Office.