site.btaChecks into Controversial Tolerance Certificates in Varna to Cover Period before 2023, Regional Minister Says

Regional Development and Public Works Minister Ivan Shishkov told Parliament on Wednesday that checks into the issuance of controversial tolerance certificates for properties lacking approved detailed development plans in Varna will be expanded to cover the period before 2023. He was heard by lawmakers in connection with the large-scale illegal construction uncovered in the Baba Alino area near Varna.

According to Shishkov, the case is not an isolated violation but points to what appears to be a long-standing practice within Varna Municipality.

The Minister said that in mid-2023 the municipality issued a large number of tolerance certificates for buildings falsely declared as having been constructed before 2001, while the actual construction began only in 2023-2024. He noted that the area is still officially classified as forest land and lacks an approved detailed development plan. In 2025, the buildings were subsequently entered into the cadastral map, allowing them to be sold, which, he argued, turned document fraud into economic fraud.

Shishkov said the scheme had involved an "organized group" and the participation of multiple institutions over time.

Responding to questions from MPs, he also argued that Varna Municipality had violated the Spatial Planning Act by issuing an order allowing the preparation of a detailed development plan, as the law prohibits planning amendments intended to legalize existing illegal construction. In his view, the municipality should have refused the amendment request.

The Minister reiterated that responsibility for controlling and removing illegal construction lies with the Mayor of Varna. He added that one of two transformer substations linked to the site had been found to be illegal and was already subject to removal proceedings, while an order would also be issued concerning alleged unauthorized modifications to the second facility.

Shishkov further criticized licensed surveyors, engineers and other professionals involved in preparing documents containing false information, saying they should be held accountable.

The Varna prosecution service is currently supervising six pre-trial proceedings related to the construction in the Baba Alino area.

The Baba Alino case first came to public attention following investigations by the anti-corruption platform BIRD and reports from local activists, who raised concerns about extensive construction activity on forest land near the Golden Sands resort. The controversy centres on 104 residential buildings erected across approximately 10 hectares in the Baba Alino area, allegedly without valid permits and with the apparent failure - or possible complicity - of several institutions responsible for oversight.

According to information later confirmed by local and national authorities, the first signs of irregularities emerged in 2023, when the Regional Forestry Directorate detected illegal logging in the area. Throughout 2024 and 2025, inspections by Varna Municipality, the National Construction Control Directorate, forestry authorities, and police uncovered expanding construction works, illegal tree cutting, fenced-off forest land, and obstruction of inspections by private security guards. Officials reported that construction continued despite stop orders and ongoing checks. By early 2025, authorities had identified dozens of newly built or unfinished structures, including multi-storey buildings and supporting infrastructure. Media reports and political statements later linked the development to Ukrainian development group KYB.

The scandal escalated in May 2026, when a joint operation by police and municipal authorities found 104 buildings allegedly constructed - or under construction - without permits, along with unauthorized roads, sewerage systems, and transformer facilities. Twenty-nine workers from Ukraine and Moldova were detained during the raid. Varna Mayor Kotsev said that the illegal construction pre-dated his election and vowed that measures will be taken to ensure the demolition of the illegal buildings.