The Arrest of the Mayor of Sungurlare May Be Extended to 72 Hours

The detention of Sungurlare Mayor Dimitar Gavazov, who was arrested yesterday, is likely to be extended to 72 hours, BNT has learnt. It remains unclear whether he will be formally charged.

According to BNT sources, two other people have also been detained: a municipal employee and the municipality’s auditor. The investigation centres on suspected abuses involving public procurement contracts and the alleged diversion of substantial sums from the budget. According to the municipality, four procurement procedures are being examined.

Today, the mayor’s relatives and supporters staged a protest outside the Regional Directorate of the Ministry of Interior in Burgas. They described his arrest as political repression and called for his release.

• The State Agency for National Security (DANS) and the General Directorate for Combating Organized Crime (GDBOP) raided the Sungurlare Municipality over public procurement abuses

Magdalena Gavazova, sister of the mayor of Sungurlare Municipality: “I do not believe my brother is a criminal, and I am convinced that he has done nothing illegal. What would you call threatening a pregnant woman with three children by telling her, ‘You won’t be able to look after your children; we’ll put you in prison’? It was the deputy mayor who said this. The woman told the police that everything was being carried out in accordance with the law, and they threatened to arrest her if she did not frame my brother.”

Ismet, a resident of Sungurlare: “He has absolutely no place in detention. This is clearly pressure from higher up.”

Dimka Chaneva, mayor of Lozarevo village: “Is this how things should be handled — detaining people simply because they work conscientiously and honestly for all the settlements?”