site.btaEPPO in Bulgaria Conducts Searches in Suspected Procurement Fraud Case Related to Plovdiv’s Green Space Project

The European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) in Sofia announced on Monday that it had requested that searches be carried out at Plovdiv Municipality and a company, suspected of public procurement fraud related to the improvement of urban green and public space in the city of Plovdiv.

The investigation, carried out with the support of the National Police General Directorate, started in connection with suspicions of fraud and abuse of power, linked to a public procurement project for improving the quality of urban green areas and open public spaces in Plovdiv. The project is worth EUR 1,532,173 (BGN 2,996,670), of which 59% co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).

According to the investigation, the manager and legal representative of the contracting company are suspected of having submitted falsified documents with inflated quantities and prices. The case further involves former public officials from Plovdiv Municipality, suspected of abuse of power in 2022-2023.

The searches and documents seized aim at gathering evidence in the ongoing investigation, the EPPO said.

All persons concerned are presumed innocent until proven guilty by the competent Bulgarian courts of law, the EPPO added.