The Sofia District Court acquitted the Deputy Mayor of Sofia for the “Environment“ Nikolay Nedelkov in a defamation case. The proceedings were initiated upon a private lawsuit by Lyubka Lyubenova, former head of the “Control of District Inspectorates“ sector in the Sofia Inspectorate. The decision is at first instance and can be appealed.
The legal dispute is related to the public revelations about the illegal dumping of construction waste and soil masses on the territory of Sofia. They became known in 2024 through the investigation “Lords of the Soil“ of the Anti-Corruption Fund. At the time, Nedelkov was the director of the Sofia Inspectorate and had spoken publicly about established violations and alleged corrupt practices.
Second case with acquittal
This is the second defamation case against Nedelkov in which he has been acquitted. In the first case, filed by former inspectorate employee Nikolay Kyuchukov, the Sofia District Court also acquitted him, and the Sofia City Court confirmed the verdict in August.
The decision in Lyubka Lyubenova's case has not yet entered into force. It was reported that it was issued following a private lawsuit, but public reasons for the court act were not presented in the information about the decision.
Over 300 risky terrains under surveillance
After the revelations of 2024, the Sofia Inspectorate has mapped over 240 unregulated landfills. Currently, the Sofia Municipality is monitoring more than 300 illegal landfills and risky terrains, including newly created backfills.
Sofia Mayor Vasil Terziev commented on the decision with the words: “The battle for every territory of Sofia is also being fought in the courtrooms.“ The municipality has also approved the purchase of 100 autonomous solar cameras with artificial intelligence to monitor problem areas.
The next procedural step in the case is the expiration of the deadline for a possible appeal before the Sofia City Court.
Sources: stolica.bg, dariknews.bg, dnes.bg