Today, 13.11.2025, the Sofia City Prosecutor's Office (SGP) filed an indictment with the Sofia City Court (SCC) in the pre-trial proceedings, which gained public popularity as the case against the mayor of Varna Municipality, reported by "Focus"
Five defendants have been brought to court for a total of twelve crimes.
To Blagomir Kotsev – mayor of Varna Municipality, Yordan Kateliev and Nikolay Stefanov – municipal councilors at the Municipal Council – Varna, and Ivaylo Marinov – co-owner of a commercial company and a member of the 51st National Assembly, have been charged with the fact that in the period from July 2024 to the end of May 2025, on the territory of the city of Varna and the city of Sofia, they conspired to commit bribery and coercion in the country, with the aim of obtaining property gain (Art. 321, para. 6 of the Criminal Code).
Blagomir Kotsev, Nikolay Stefanov, Yordan Kateliyev and A. P. have been charged with the fact that, in complicity as co-perpetrators, in the period from the beginning of August 2024 to the end of May 2025 in the city of Varna, with a different number of acts, they requested different amounts of money for exercising influence in the decision-making of officials within their sphere of service. Blagomir Kotsev participated in three acts and claimed a benefit of nearly 370 thousand leva, Nikolay Stefanov participated in two acts and claimed nearly 250 thousand leva, Yordan Kateliev participated in one act and claimed nearly 230 thousand leva, and A. P. participated in one act and claimed a property benefit of nearly 118 thousand leva. The crime is under Art. 304b, para. 1, in conjunction with Art. 20, para. 2, in conjunction with Para. 1 of the Criminal Code, and for Blagomir Kotsev and Nikolay Stefanov it was continued (under Art. 26, para. 1 of the Criminal Code). The individual acts are as follows:
- at the beginning of August 2024, in the city of Varna, Blagomir Kotsev, Yordan Kateliyev and Nikolay Stefanov in complicity as co-perpetrators, requested from Plamenka Dimitrova – executive director of a commercial company, 15% excluding VAT of the value of a public procurement with the subject: "Preparation and delivery of ready-made food, daily for the needs of social services for children and adults to the Municipality of Varna, including delivery of ready-made food for children and adults in need of a specific diet“, with the contracting authority Varna Municipality and a value of over 1.5 million BGN, equivalent to nearly 230 thousand BGN, for exercising influence in the decision-making of D. M. – Deputy Mayor of Varna Municipality and proxy of the contracting authority for the public procurement with delegated rights under the Public Procurement Act pursuant to a specific order;
- On 08.05.2025, in the city of Varna, Blagomir Kotsev and A. P., in complicity as co-perpetrators, requested from T. G. nearly 118 thousand leva, for exercising influence in the decision-making of P. K. – Deputy Mayor of Varna Municipality, with functions granted to him by a specific order under the Spatial Development Act – for the issuance of an order for approval of a detailed development plan – regulation and development plan and working development plan for a specific regulated land plot;
- at the end of May 2025, in the city of Varna, Blagomir Kotsev and Nikolay Stefanov, in complicity as co-perpetrators, requested from I. I. 21 thousand leva, for exercising influence in the decision-making of P. K. – deputy mayor of Varna Municipality, with functions granted to him by a specific order under the Spatial Development Act – for issuing orders for approval of a detailed development plan – regulation and development plan for specific properties, in connection with the unification of three land properties.
With the indictment, Blagomir Kotsev and Nikolay Stefanov were also brought to court for the fact that on September 15, 2024, in the city of Varna, in complicity as co-perpetrators, they attempted to force Plamenka Dimitrova - executive director of a commercial company - to transfer half of the contracts under which the company she represented was the contractor and the contracting authority was the Municipality of Varna, to a commercial company with the co-owner, the accused Ivaylo Marinov, stating that otherwise they would liquidate her and take away her business. Plamenka Dimitrova did not perform the requested actions and filed a report with the Anti-Corruption Commission (Art. 143, para. 1, item 1, in conjunction with Art. 20, para. 2, in conjunction with Art. 18, para. 1 of the Criminal Code).
B. K. is also charged with the fact that from the end of November 2023 to the end of March 2024, in the city of Varna, he attempted to force B. A. - project manager of the "Integrated Urban Transport of Varna" project under a grant scheme, to prepare a capital transfer application for the transfer of earmarked funds, in the amount of over 3 million leva, intended for specific payments under the project, from the account of the Municipality of Varna to a commercial company, stating that if he did not comply with his verbal orders, he would not keep his job. B. A. did not prepare the requested application and was dismissed from work on 14.05.2024 (Art. 143, para. 1, item 1, in conjunction with Art. 18, para. 1 of the Criminal Code).
The investigation into the pre-trial proceedings was carried out by the Commission for Combating Corruption under the leadership and supervision of the State Prosecutor's Office.
A disposition hearing on the case is to be scheduled by the State Criminal Court.