site.btaMRF Burgas Chapter Leader Shirokov Remains in Custody

The Burgas Appellate Court upheld the remand in custody of MRF Burgas Chapter Leader Hristo Shirokov over alleged participation in an organized criminal group, the court said on Friday.

The ruling is final and cannot be appealed. Prosecutors allege that the group included officials from the Burgas Water and Sewerage Company and was formed for financial gain and to commit offences punishable by more than three years’ imprisonment. It allegedly operated in Burgas Region from February 2024 to July 14, 2026.

Three other people have been charged alongside Shirokov, including former Burgas Water and Sewerage Company director Tsvetan Mirchev. All four have been charged with a serious intentional offence involving participation in an organized criminal group.

Shirokov was detained in Pomorie on July 15 during a specialized operation by the General Directorate for Combating Organized Crime (GDCOC). He told journalists at the time that he did not know exactly why he was being detained.

On August 8, the Burgas District Court remanded Shirokov in custody. A day earlier, the court placed three of the other accused under house arrest.

Shirokov is also a longtime municipal councillor in Pomorie. When he was arrested during the GDCOC operation⁠�, he said he had been questioned the previous day in connection with an investigation in Kardzhali.

Earlier in July, the Burgas District Court remanded Tsvetan Mirchev and Burgas Water and Sewerage Company investment control officer Ilcho Boev in custody on intentional mismanagement charges. Investigators alleged that an outside company received more than EUR 300,000 for cleaning around 70 water wells in Burgas Region although the work was not carried out.