The Montana District Prosecutor's Office filed an indictment against the mayor of Boychinovtsi municipality Svetlin Sreteniev in a case of official misconduct, it became clear from a statement by the Appellate Prosecutor's Office in Sofia.
Sreteniev was elected mayor of Boychinovtsi municipality in the local elections in 2011, and was subsequently re-elected in 2015 and 2019.
During his third term, although he was familiar with his obligations to manage and dispose of municipal property and finances in accordance with the provisions of the Law on Local Self-Government and Local Administration, he concluded employment contracts between the Boychinovtsi municipality and ten individuals, close to him and participated in his election campaigns.
During the investigation, evidence was collected that Sreteniev deliberately appointed the individuals in question to various positions, including a specialist in "Ethnic and Integration Issues", a contractor, a worker in "Public Works and Communal Construction" and a janitor. Some of the appointed individuals certified their education not with diplomas for completing secondary education, but with certificates for completing VII and XI grades. It was also established that one of the appointed persons had been convicted of a crime against the political rights of citizens.
The ten persons received salaries from the budget of the Boychinovtsi municipality, without actually working and without fulfilling the obligations arising from the positions held.
According to the prosecution, as a result of the actions of Svetlin Sreteniev for the period from January 1, 2018 to March 31, 2023, significant damage was caused to the Boychinovtsi municipality in the amount of 382,164.76 leva (195,397.74 euros).
The employment contracts concluded by the accused were the subject of a journalistic investigation, after the broadcast of which the District Prosecutor's Office – Montana has initiated a self-referral and initiated pre-trial proceedings, which ended with the filing of the indictment in court.
A disposition hearing in the case is scheduled.