Balgarianovinite.com The European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) said in a press release on Monday that its office in Sofia had filed an indictment against a former mayor and a former regional governor of Varna (on the Black Sea), as well as two public officials of the Executive Agency Maritime Administration, for fraud relating to the reconstruction of a fishing port that did not exist.
“The four are accused of forging official documents and providing false information in order to unlawfully obtain EUR 3.4 million in EU and national funds for a project aimed at improving the infrastructure of a purported fishing port on the outskirts of Varna, submitted by the Municipality of the city (the beneficiary). According to the investigation, however, no such port existed at the time the funding application was submitted,” the EPPO specified.
“Based on the evidence, the plots of land included in the application as an existing port were in fact registered in the cadastral plan of Varna as rocks, sand and other type of buildings. The investigation showed that the beneficiary assembled several pontoons as floating piers, with the sole purpose of registering the site as an existing harbour. With the help of public officials from the Executive Agency Maritime Administration, the plots ended up being registered as a port,” the press release reads.
“The estimated damage to the EU budget is approximately EUR 2.8 million (BGN 5,603,035.97), with an additional estimated damage to the national budget of EUR 675,475 (BGN 1,321,115.78),” the EPPO said, adding that “if found guilty, the former mayor and ex-governor face between two to eight years’ imprisonment. The other defendants face up to five years’ imprisonment. The court may also prohibit the defendants from holding certain state or public offices.”
The case was first reported to the EPPO by the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF), after suspicions of possible serious irregularities and fraud and OLAF also conducted a complementary investigation under EPPO’s supervision. The case was further investigated by the General Directorate National Police of Sofia.
In October 2024, Yes, Bulgaria (one of the parties in the Continue the Change – Democratic Bulgaria coalition) wrote in a Facebook post that following a tip-off by their member and Varna constituency MP Stela Nikolova, former Mayor Ivan Portnih is now formally accused of a fraud. Portnih himself said at a news conference on September 1, 2023, that he expected to be arrested in an EPPO investigation into the fishing port project. He said that the case was a politically-motivated fabrication ahead of the October 29, 2023 local elections. Portnih, the GERB candidate for re-election, then lost the race after serving as a mayor for ten years.
Stoyan Pasev, who was Varna Regional Governor between 2014 and 2017, admitted to Nova Television that there was a prosecutor’s case file on the fishing port, but denied any charges. “I have not received a subpoena. There may be [charges] and we may not be notified, but that is not the way to accuse people – through the media,” Pasev said. European Prosecutors Indict Former Varna Mayor, Ex-Regional Governor 2025 THE NEWS FROM BULGARIA – NEWS AGENCY 2009-2025 2025-12-01 10:52:00 Latest news World news Country news Most important news latest news most important latest of the day Justice Petar Nizamov Feathers Petar Nizamov- Feathers Justice bg iustitia.bg iustitia iusticia usticia investigation Burgas Bulgaria news news of the last hour news of the day news of today Bulgaria news The news from Bulgaria blitz news top news most important most commented latest news Boyko Borisov news weather coronavirus news news weather facebook youtube facebook instagram news today news of the last minutes news today today news news bg news leading news hot news bg news site for news all news news bg news of the last hour latest latest news bg news of today news today news today news of the last hour latest news today news bg news news 24 hours news vesti bg novini news world bird bg bivol bg bivol trud bg novini latest news today novinite bg news hello bulgaria political party coat of arms delyan peevski scandalous Bulgarian National Television Free Europe Television scandal exclusive live tv live right now tv tv online tv program bg live now tv news online tv online live court Burgas court Burgas district court Burgas court Burgas district court Burgas district court Burgas appellate court Burgas prosecutor Burgas prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Prosecutor General Ivan Geshev Prosecutor Geshev Tsatsarov Ministry of Internal Affairs Burgas ODMR Burgas ODPR Burgas police Burgas district police Burgas prosecutor Tsatsarov SGS cases Varna court chairman of the SGS court decisions on civil cases decisions on cases Plovdiv court decision of the court decisions cases Varna court criminal cases district district court decisions work in the court SGS chairman of the SGS judges Sofia court post judges Plovdiv court Plovdiv judges Plovdiv Supreme Court Inspectorate Supreme Court Supreme Judicial Council lawyer lawyer criminal cases lawyer civil cases lawyer marriage cases lawyer administrative criminal law criminal process civil law civil process administrative law constitutional law
