Former Mayor of Varna Ivan Portnih: The Attack against Me Today Is Staged

“I will put it briefly and clearly: the attack against me today has been orchestrated to divert attention from the corruption-accused mayor of Varna, welcomed like a messiah without a single difficult question.”
This is what Ivan Portnih wrote on his Facebook page after it became known today that the European Public Prosecutor’s Office had brought charges against him.

“Once I receive the case files — and that will only be after the preliminary hearing — I will immediately present them at a press conference so the public can see that there is absolutely nothing improper in them. There are dozens of Municipal Council decisions relating to the port project which we followed, and the port itself is documented going back decades. Everything will be shown to the public.
The European Prosecutor’s Office was alerted by activists from 'We Continue the Change–Democratic Bulgaria', one of whom — Yoan Karaterziyan, whose wife I dismissed for corruption — is even acting as an expert in the case. This is completely absurd and nonsensical. Despite the obvious conflict of interest — being both the complainant and an expert — and despite my objections, he was not removed by Teodora Georgieva. Apparently they could not find anyone else willing to support such lies,” he wrote.

Portnih added that today’s EP publication was “clearly dictated by WCC–DB, whose protégés are carrying out orders”.

“We were inspected multiple times by all institutions, including OLAF. No violations were found in the project. We do not even have financial corrections on it. The fabricated accusation is based on the claim that no port has ever existed there, which is entirely untrue. There are documents proving its existence stretching back decades. All of these are attached, but since no one bears responsibility, someone simply pretended not to see them. As soon as the preliminary hearing is over and I gain access to the materials, I will present them publicly so it becomes clear what a disgraceful set-up is being staged.”

Portnih questioned whether it was mere coincidence that “exactly today, on command, all WCC–DB officials were activated to reheat the same story simultaneously”.

First working day for Blagomir Kotsev after his arrest: “I feel recharged and rested”

“Precisely on the first working day of the corruption-accused mayor, and just before the protest against the budget. No, ladies and gentlemen, I am not charged with corruption. Your ‘messiah’ Kotsev, however, is standing trial for corruption. And no matter how hard you try to revive old scandals to cover up the misconduct of your own people, it will not work,” Portnih wrote.