The mayor of Belitsa, Radoslav Revanski, has been detained for up to 72 hours after a raid by the Directorate of the Bulgarian Anti-Corruption Bureau and the National Agency for the Protection of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in the municipality. He was taken out of the administration building in handcuffs in the early afternoon of October 21.
Revanski has been charged, but the specific text has not been made public. Details of the investigation are expected.
The raid began at around 08:00. Searches and seizures were carried out in the Belitsa Municipality building and in the mayor's home. According to BNT, documents and computer configurations have been seized.
The investigation is related to alleged violations in public procurement, including contracts related to the “Road Infrastructure“ Agency, as well as projects with European funding. This data is presented by the media as information on the investigation, and not as established guilt.
Until the publication of the material, the prosecutor's office has not officially announced what the accusation against Revanski is and what evidence has been collected. It has not been announced whether detention in custody will be requested after the initial 72-hour period has expired.
Citizens and representatives of the MRF gathered in front of the municipality. The party's chairman, Delyan Peevski, and the party leadership arrived in Belitsa in support of the mayor.
Peevski described the actions of the authorities as political repression. The prosecutor's office is yet to officially announce the legal qualification of the accusation and to clarify what measure of detention will be imposed on Revanski.