Balgarianovinite.com Stopping the illegal construction in the Baba Alino area near Varna, on the Black Sea, carried out by the Ukrainian corporation KYB, falls within the powers of the municipality, Regional Development and Public Works Minister Ivan Shishkov said on Wednesday.
Shishkov, Agriculture and Food Minister Plamen Abrovski and Deputy Interior Minister Kaloyan Miltenov inspected the case and later briefed journalists on the findings. Regional Governor Mario Smarkov, who hosted the meeting, said the joint inspection involving all relevant institutions provides a clear picture of the developments, the authorities’ handling of the issue over the years and the actions of Varna Municipality.
Agriculture Minister Abrovski outlined the chronology of events, explaining that the property, originally state-owned, was exchanged for private land elsewhere in 2005. Although the terrain became privately owned, its designation could not be changed under the Forest Act, he said.
On October 26, 2023, employees of the Regional Forestry Directorate and the State Forestry Enterprise in Varna carried out an inspection following reports of illegal logging in the forest area. They established that construction activities were also taking place there, Abrovski said. Inspection reports and photographs documented prepared formwork and early stages of construction. Forestry experts subsequently notified Varna Municipality, the Interior Ministry, the regional directorate and later the prosecution service.
Shishkov said that on June 7, 2023, a certificate of tolerance had been issued stating that the construction had been completed in 2001. According to him, the year was intentionally chosen because it effectively made obtaining such a document possible. He stressed that the certificate contained false information and had been issued by the architect of Varna’s Primorski borough.
The minister added that orthophoto images showed the site was actually built up in 2024 and 2025. Certificates of tolerance with false content had been issued for three neighbouring plots, all claiming the construction had been completed in 2001 on the basis of submitted declarations. “In other words, we have reports and acts containing false information, while everything has been entered into the cadastre on the basis of these certificates,” Shishkov said, adding that all institutions had kept their “eyes wide shut”.
Shishkov also noted that the National Construction Control Directorate had opened a case file but appropriately transferred it to Varna Municipality, since sanctioning construction based on false certificates of tolerance falls under municipal authority. According to him, the administration had the power not only to review the certificates but also to launch demolition procedures for the buildings.
“Today the state is dealing with something that the municipality should certainly have dealt with,” the minister said, expressing hope that Varna Municipality would take the necessary steps to end what he described as lawlessness. He added that the prosecution service should also take action.
Deputy Interior Minister Miltenov said the Interior Ministry has been working on the case since 2023, when the first pre-trial proceedings were launched. The investigation concerns alleged abuse of office by a public official, while numerous document-related crimes have also been identified, he said. “Expect numerous actions by the Interior Ministry on this issue,” Miltenov stated, adding that police would not “turn a blind eye”.
Agriculture Minister Abrovski added that forestry inspectors had caught people carrying out the logging on site, issued fines and imposed penalties, but “they paid them with a smile and continued cutting”. Regional Development Minister: Stopping Illegal Construction near Varna Is Municipality’s Responsibility 2026 THE NEWS FROM BULGARIA – NEWS AGENCY 2009-2025 2026-05-27 18:06:07 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