Mayor of General Toshevo, who was arrested at the request of the European Public Prosecutor’s Office, has been released on bail

The mayor of the town if General Toshevo, Dobrich province in Northeastern Bulgaria, Valentin Dimitrov, has been released on a cash bail of BGN 10 000. He was charged with filing false documents.

He is the first person arrested at the request of the European Public Prosecutor's Office in Bulgaria. The mayor's lawyer said there was no abuse of EU funds. Dimitrov claims he is innocent. Earlier this morning (August 10), a protest was held in front of the building of the police in Dobrich in support of the mayor.

According to the accusation, the mayor submitted false information about construction works that were not completed on time under a project for energy efficiency in residential buildings. Local residents claimed that this was not true and declared that they had witnessed the implementation of the project.

Dozens of residents gathered in front of the police and demanded Dimitrov's release from custody. BSP councillors also spoke in his defence, claiming that his detention was a political order.

"I was charged, I was released. This is it. Cash bail, which we will discuss with the lawyer, it is our right - BGN 10 000. Again I want to say, I am calm, I trust these people, they trust me. I have always worked for the people of the municipality of General Toshevo. Anyone can make whatever accusations they want," Dimitrov said.

"The accusation is, generally speaking, of submitting false information to a certifying authority and receiving EU funds on the basis of such false information, something with which Mr Dimitrov and I do not particularly agree, but we will not comment in detail. It is not embezzlement. This is another crime", explained lawyer Milen Yankov.

"The project has long been finalised. Everything has been checked, completed, the buildings have been sanitised, since 2019," said Dr. Yana Boneva, president of the City Council.

A statement from the BSP executive bureau explained that the mayor's arrest was a political order ahead of local elections. They added that they expected an objective investigation into the case and said they stood firmly behind Dimitrov, nominating him for a third term as mayor.

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The Mayor of General Toshevo was arrested on Wednesday, August 9, in a probe into subsidy fraud involving a project for increasing energy efficiency in social housing, the European Public Prosecution Office (EPPO) announced.

Searches were also carried out today in the premises of the municipality, in the offices of public officials suspected of involvement in the crimes under investigation. Several witnesses and suspects will be questioned.

The facts date back to 2017–2019. At issue is a grant obtained by the municipality for a project to increase energy efficiency in multifamily residential buildings, financed by the European Union, to the amount of €169 000 (approximately BGN 330 000). The project was designated to a private contractor.

According to the evidence, public officials involved in the project, including the mayor, presented untrue information regarding the implementation of the works, which had not been concluded by the established deadline.

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