A joint operation by the police and the Municipality of Varna revealed large-scale illegal construction in the area of "Baba Alino", where dozens of buildings have been built on about 100 acres without the necessary permits. According to data from the institutions, there are about 104 buildings, some of which are multi-family, as well as a large number of single-family houses. Construction has been stopped, and inspections have been carried out on site by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the municipal authorities, Nova TV reported.
There have been arrests in the case and the area has been placed under increased police surveillance to prevent the activities from continuing.
On the air of "Zdravej, Bulgaria"; the mayor of Varna Blagomir Kotsev confirmed the scale of the illegal construction found. According to him, the territory covers about 100 acres of land, including forest areas, where the activity was partially concealed. Kotsev added that in the past years, inspections were carried out and acts were drawn up, but construction continued despite them.
According to the municipality, no construction permits were issued for the site, and all attempts to submit documents were unsuccessful. In the period 2024-2025, acts were issued to establish illegal construction and felling of trees, but the activities were not terminated in a timely manner.
The mayor also commented on the investor's claims that the project has public and economic benefits, emphasizing that the law must be respected and such actions cannot be tolerated. “There are laws in Bulgaria and they must be respected“, said Kotsev and was categorical that the municipality will continue the procedures until the issuance of acts for the removal of illegal buildings.
According to him, the next administrative steps are already being prepared, which include comprehensive documentation of the violations and the initiation of a procedure for the demolition of the construction. He specified that the final phase will be the removal of the illegal buildings in accordance with the law.
The mayor also commented on allegations of possible institutional protection, stating that such a scale of construction would be difficult to implement without “protection at a higher level“, referring to possible dependencies outside the local government.
The mayor also commented on the role of SANS, indicating that in 2025 the institution was notified and information and documents related to the construction and the acts issued by the municipality were handed over to it. He added that the subsequent actions of the service were not clear after that, and that he could not comment on specific decisions of its management.
Kotsev also said that mainly workers were checked on site, but there is still no information about the whereabouts of the investors associated with the project.
The topic also raised questions about the status of the land, as it became clear that the territory does not have a detailed development plan and is still part of a forest fund, which further hinders any legal construction.
The investors came out with a position with which they refute the opinion of Mayor Kotsev:
The management of KUB Corporation expresses its strong indignation at today's statements and false suggestions of the local administration in the person of the Mayor of Varna Municipality - Mr. Blagomir Kotsev regarding the company's investments and ownership in the area “Baba Alino” and the PUP-PRZ proceeding for more than one year under Art. 16 of the ZUT for this area.
We have serious objections to the emphasized opinion and its complete inconsistency and discrepancy in the facts regarding the plans and projects of the company implemented so far in the region of Varna.
KUB Corporation reserves the right to comment on the statements made by the Mayor, for which we will organize a press conference, to which we will invite journalists and personally the Mayor Mr. Kotsev to express our clear positions and retorts against his statements, supported by evidence against his publicly stated false statements.
We hope that Mr. Kotsev understands the significance of the implication that such statements carry for the security and rights of the society of Varna and the residents of this area.
We will inform the audience about the time and place of the press conference as soon as possible.