Prosecutors File Indictment against Varna Mayor Blagomir Kotsev

The Sofia City Prosecutor’s Office has filed an indictment against Varna Mayor Blagomir Kotsev, who has been held in custody since July. Five defendants in total are being sent to court on 12 separate charges. Kotsev, accused of corruption and participation in an organised criminal group, was detained during an operation by Bulgaria’s anti-corruption commission.

Among the defendants is also a sitting Member of Parliament.

Despite the charges, Kotsev has announced that he will not resign and intends to continue performing his mayoral duties from detention, with his lawyers bringing documents for signature.

According to the indictment, between July 2024 and the end of May 2025, Kotsev allegedly conspired with two municipal councillors, a company co-owner and an MP to commit acts of bribery and coercion for financial gain in Varna and Sofia.

• Blahomir Kotsev will carry out his duties from custody

The Prosecutor’s Office has not disclosed the name or initials of the MP involved.

Kotsev is accused of three specific offences, including demanding nearly 370,000 leva in bribes. The indictment details several instances of corruption, such as a public procurement tender for social services worth 1.5 million leva, of which 15% was allegedly requested as kickback.

n another case, a 118,000-leva bribe was allegedly demanded from a businessman to influence a deputy mayor regarding documents for a land property.

Prosecutors say that in September 2024, the group around Kotsev attempted to coerce the CEO of a private company to transfer half of its contracts with Varna Municipality to another firm they designated — under threat of “nullifying and seizing the business” if he refused.

Kotsev also faces charges of attempted coercion against the head of Varna’s Integrated Urban Transport Project, allegedly pressuring him to divert over 3 million leva intended for the project to a private company. After refusing, the project head was dismissed in May 2024.

Kotsev’s lawyer, Nikolay Vladimirov, said the prosecution’s actions “lack legal sense” and are aimed solely at keeping the mayor in custody:

“On 7 November 2025, we filed a request for review of his detention measure. Instead of immediately forwarding it to the court as required by law, prosecutors deliberately delayed the process, leading to this situation.”

Following the expiration of Kotsev’s leave, his team confirmed that he will continue managing municipal affairs from the detention facility, signing documents through his legal representatives.

Vladimirov added:“I don’t believe this will prevent him from performing his duties. The only lawful way to remove him from office is through a final court conviction — and that is certainly not imminent.”
Two signals have been submitted in recent days to the Municipal Election Commission (OIK) in Varna, questioning whether Kotsev’s leave has expired and whether he has breached the rule limiting unauthorised absence to one month.

Velin Zhekov, Chair of the OIK-Varna, explained:

“A mayor may be absent from work without justification for up to one month. Only after that period expires can the mandate be subject to termination.”

When asked whether a mayor can issue legally valid decisions from detention, Zhekov responded cautiously:

“I don’t think it’s appropriate for the Election Commission to comment on the work of another authority, in this case the municipality of Varna. As a lawyer, I prefer to keep my personal opinion for now. Such matters should be discussed collectively within the commission before any public statement is made.”

A formal decision from the Election Commission is expected in the coming days.