The District Prosecutor's Office in Burgas has brought official charges against the executive director of „ViK - Burgas“ Tsvetan Mirchev for intentional mismanagement. A second employee from the water company has also been charged with complicity in the form of aiding and abetting. The two have been detained by a prosecutor's order for up to 72 hours, with the court awaiting to consider requests for their permanent arrest.
Chronology of events and investigation
- Special operation of the Bulgarian Water Company: On July 3, 2026, anti-mafia officers entered the headquarters of the water company in Burgas, where the searches and seizure of documents lasted for nearly 7 hours.
- Mass arrests: In the operation, 13 people were initially taken for questioning, including deputy director Plamena Zhecheva and heads of regional divisions in the area.
- BGN 1.5 million scheme: The investigation is aimed at corruption practices and embezzlement of funds by compiling documents with false content. Fictitiously reported repairs and drilling under public procurement contracts are being checked, without the activities actually being carried out.
- Pressure on employees: According to investigators, senior management pressured regional directors to sign the false reports.
Broader context of the water crisis in the region
The case develops just a week after another showy arrest in the Burgas region - that of the manager of “ViK – Nessebar“ Svilen Stanchev, who was caught with a company car and marked 8,000 euros as a bribe from an investor. The prosecutor's office is currently checking whether there is a direct connection between the two investigations.
In parallel, local authorities and municipal councilors are signaling a systematic ineffective management of water resources. Despite the nearly half a billion leva invested under the Operational Program “Environment“ to renew the network, water losses in the region, instead of decreasing, are projected to increase to nearly 53% in the new business plan by 2031.
The Burgas District Prosecutor's Office is expected to give an extraordinary briefing on Monday with more technical details about the scheme and to file a request for permanent measures to prevent the defendants from being detained.
Sources: BNT, NOVA