Mayor of Ognyanovo Threatened Over Illegal Mineral Water Drilling?

A beating and a threat to kill the mayor of Ognyanovo over suspicions of illegal mineral water drilling.

The mayor of Ognyanovo, Ivan Izhbekhov, reported in a post on Facebook that he had been attacked by the owner of a hotel complex after initiating an inspection by the Basin Directorate to determine whether the hotel was using mineral water illegally. The businessman denies the allegations and has threatened legal action. The police in Gotse Delchev have opened an investigation into the incident.

The attack occurred yesterday, September 16, after 5:00 PM in the hotel courtyard, following the completion of the inspection by the Basin Directorate. The mayor and the hotel owner, Valentin Chetrafilov, retreated for a private conversation, during which the hotelier reportedly admitted to using mineral water illegally.

Ivan Izhbekhov - mayor of Ognyanovo village: "I can now confirm that he made a self-admission in front of me. This is a public secret that I know and others know – that he indeed has an illegal borehole. He said to me: ‘Ivan, I do have such a borehole, I admit it.’ Many hoteliers have such boreholes because the water supplied by the Municipality of Garmen was not sufficient."

The conversation continued as they attempted to resolve the matter, but seconds later, Izhbekhov was hit on the head, knocked to the ground, and received additional blows.

Ivan Izhbekhov - Mayor of Ognyanovo village: "As we were talking, I felt a strong blow to the back of my head and back. I bent slightly, but he continued to punch my face in that bent position."

After the beating, the hotel owner allegedly threatened the mayor, claiming he would pay 200,000 leva to have him “taken care of” if the incident was reported. Chetrafilov denies the allegations and intends to sue the mayor for defamation.

Valentin Chetrafilov - owner of a hotel complex:

"I didn’t touch him with a finger, what would I want… I have no claims, I don’t know what to tell you. In my opinion, the only reason is that we didn’t give him money for the festival; I told him that I give money for charity."

Hoteliers from the region sent a statement to the media to support their colleague. They described him as a “responsible, kind, and good person” who provides employment to locals through his business, and condemning the defamation against him. Residents expressed surprise at the incident but noted that for many years, hotels in the area have allegedly been using mineral water illegally.

Atanas Yanchev - a resident of Ognyanovo village: "It’s all about the water. As far as we know, the problem is the water. Ordinary people can’t buy water at 2 BGN from the shop, yet some are bathing in mineral water."

Stoyan - resident of Ognyanovo village: "For private houses, the mineral water was cut off years ago. It went to the hotels. We don’t have mineral water at home, none at all."

In a letter to BNT, the "Basin Directorate" said that an illegal borehole was found on the site. Further investigation will determine whether the water is mineral and what penalties will be imposed on the hotel owner.