site.btaSofia Mayor Terziev Vows Equal Treatment for Borough Mayors Amid Corruption Probe

Sofia Mayor Vassil Terziev said on Wednesday that he treats all borough mayors equally and will continue working with each of them to boost effectiveness, following developments related to a corruption investigation at Sofia Municipality, speaking in a television interview.

Terziev explained that he had recently met with all borough mayors and stressed that everyone has remained equally distanced from his administration since the very beginning. He added that his intention is to work with each of them and help improve their efficiency, as every borough contains voters from all parties and the mayors have been elected to serve the interests of the people.

He noted that he had made it clear to the borough mayors he would keep the same distance when it comes to abuses, both within his own administration and at the borough level. Terziev mentioned that the mayors of Lyulin and Mladost did not attend the meeting as they were unable to do so.

Regarding former deputy mayor Nikola Barbutov, charged along with three others in an investigation into an organized criminal group suspected of official misconduct and bribery, Terziev clarified that Barbutov had been recommended by Continue the Change (CC). The nomination group, consisting of representatives from all three coalition parties as well as Terziev himself, chose Barbutov together, he said. He noted that until last Monday, he had no reason to question Barbutov’s work and pointed out that the recording revealed Barbutov was not seeking personal gain.

On the public information that emerged from the investigation, Terziev remarked that what transpired is unacceptable. He emphasized that public resources should always be used for their intended purposes. “I am against corruption,” Terziev said. He added that an analysis is currently underway to explore options for tighter controls on public procurement processes.

With respect to the report to the European Public Prosecutor’s Office about the operation of the waste treatment plant, Terziev said the information has also been delivered to the prosecution service.

On June 24, 2025, Anti-Corruption Commission officers searched Sofia Municipality after the mayors of Lyulin and Mladost boroughs, Georgi Todorov and Ivaylo Kukurin, said they had rejected bribe offers of BGN 5,000 and BGN 300,000 linked to a BGN 5 million kindergarten renovation tender. CC-DB Co-chair Kiril Petkov resigned as MP and party co-chair the next day. Sofia City Court on June 26, 2025, remanded former deputy mayor Nikola Barbutov and businessman Petar Rafailov in custody on charges of running an organized group that pressured district officials, and Mayor Vassil Terziev dismissed Barbutov on June 27, 2025. Todorov, Kukurin and municipal councillors Dragomir Ivanov and Dimitar Shalafov subsequently left Continue the Change (CC) alleging political pressure and back-room deals.