site.btaUPDATED Varna Mayor Blagomir Kotsev Detained

A police detention order was served on Blagomir Kotsev, mayor of Varna, and he was detained at around 11.30 p.m. on Tuesday, his lawyer Milen Ralchev told reporters. The detention relates to a case by the Counter-Corruption Commission (CCC) and the Sofia City Prosecution Office, and the measure will be appealed on Wednesday.

Earlier procedural and investigative actions were carried out, including searches of Kotsev’s official office and his home, in the presence of his wife and young child. The search and seizure authorization is dated July 2, 2025.

Ralchev said nothing justified detaining the mayor five days later, adding that if anyone suspected evidence could be hidden, the detention would be understandable.

He described the detention order as lacking legal basis and called it a form of repression.

“Of course, we will appeal, because in my view it is unlawful,” the lawyer said in response to a reporter’s question.

Ralchev said there is no doubt that the detention order will be revoked. “In the absence of legal grounds for the mayor’s detention, I personally see a political context to this detention and pursuit of political goals,” Ralchev stressed.

According to his lawyer, Varna Mayor Blagomir Kotsev is currently being held in one of the city’s police stations.

No one explained what exactly the CCC employees were searching for, Ralchev said in response to a reporter’s question. He believes the results of the seizures will not contribute to clarifying the circumstances of the case.

Asked what he thinks is the purpose of the arrest and searches, the lawyer replied that, for him, “purely political goals are being pursued, since there are no grounds for detaining a person, which is an extreme measure”. According to Ralchev, the aim is to remove the mayor from office.

The lawyer said he had spoken with his client, Mayor Kotsev. According to him, he was effectively detained at 3:00 p.m. on Tuesday and was kept under continuous police supervision for nine hours. The detention was formally recorded as starting at 11:30 p.m., but in reality, he was deprived of his basic rights nine hours earlier, Ralchev underscored.

A protest in support of Mayor Blagomir Kotsev is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. on Wednesday outside the Varna City Hall building.