site.btaVarna Mayor Blagomir Kotsev Detained, Reactions

Varna Mayor Blagomir Kotsev was detained Tuesday night under a police order tied to an investigation by the Counter-Corruption Commission and Sofia City Prosecution Office. His lawyer, Milen Ralchev, condemned the detention as legally unfounded and politically motivated, noting that Kotsev had been under police supervision for nine hours before the detention was formally recorded. Earlier searches of Kotsev’s office and home were conducted in front of his family, based on a warrant dated July 2. Ralchev believes the goal is to remove Kotsev from office and called the detention a form of repression. 

Continue the Change (CC) leader Assen Vassilev commented that the case is an absolute political repression against Kotsev, and MRF - New Beginning leader Delyan Peevski is trying to help GERB leader Boyko Borissov win Varna (on the Black Sea) and Sofia after he failed to win them in the local elections. Vassilev alleged that the company which filed the report against Varna Mayor Blagomir Kotsev has close ties to GERB and former mayor Ivan Portnih. He presented a Facebook post showing the company boasting of its relationship with GERB and Boyko Borissov since 2015. Under Portnih, the company won 17 public contracts worth over BGN 6 million. In 2024, it lost a procurement bid under Kotsev’s administration and appealed unsuccessfully to the Commission for Protection of Competition and later to the Supreme Administrative Court, which upheld the municipality's decision and ordered the company to pay legal costs. Vassilev claimed that only after losing the court case did the company allege it was asked for a bribe, filing a complaint that triggered Kotsev’s arrest. He questioned why the investigation took eight months for verifiable facts and criticized the timing of the arrest, which coincided with Bulgaria's eurozone accession approval. Vassilev reaffirmed CC’s support for Kotsev, announcing party members would join citizens protesting in Varna against what they view as politically motivated actions.

Commenting on the detention of Varna Mayor Blagomir Kotsev, Vazrazhdane Floor Leader Kostadin Kostadinov said that the big question is whether similar actions will be taken against mayors from the Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF) and GERB, because otherwise "it creates the impression of politically motivated operations". 

Talking to reporters in Parliament, Velichie leader Ivelin Mihaylov expressed 100% support for Blagomir Kotsev. Mihaylov blamed the operation on MRF-New Beginning leader Delyan Peevski, saying that he controlled the police. "In Varna, there are criminal groups that cannot carry out their uncontrolled construction under this mayor. Kotsev stopped illegal construction, which is the reason behind this operation," he commented.

Sofia Mayor Vasil Terziev said Wednesday that the arrest of Blagomir Kotsev is "a warning to every one of us". Terziev criticized Kotsev's arrest, calling it deeply troubling as it was based solely on one person's unverified claim, without evidence or witnesses. He argued that such selective actions by institutions long indifferent to corruption raise serious questions about the rule of law and whose interests it serves. According to Terziev, this is part of a broader pattern of "selective justice" where integrity is punished rather than protected. He warned that anyone could be targeted next, highlighting the broader threat to public trust and safety. Citing the European Commission’s concerns about stalled judicial reform and lack of convictions for high-level corruption, Terziev stressed that institutional change will not happen on its own. He called for strong public support and civil engagement, saying societal pressure is essential to resisting fear and demanding justice. 

Four people have been charged and detained for 72 hours under investigation for a corruption crime in Varna, the Sofia City Prosecution Office said on its website on Wednesday. The four (identified by their initials B. K., N. S., Y. K. and I. M.) were accused of participating in an organized criminal group that operated on the territory of Varna from July 2024 to November 19, 2024, with the aim of jointly committing crimes of office, bribery and money laundering. 

Later in the day, two protests took place in Varna and Sofia in support of Varna Mayor Blagomir Kotsev.

In Varna, in addition to citizens, MPs from the parliamentary group of Continue the Change - Democratic Bulgaria (CC-DB), local politicians, Kotsev's deputies and others joined the protest. Former CC-DB co-chair Kiril Petkov told the crowd that if the detainees were taken to Sofia, they would be met with a protest there too. He said that the protest is supported by all kinds of civil organizations. “It’s Blagomir’s [Kotsev’s] fault that they can’t buy him, they can’t scare him, and that’s why they locked him up in an attempt to scare others,” said former Prime Minister and CC-DB MP Nikolay Denkov.

In Sofia, citizens gathered in front of the Counter-Corruption Commission building. They spoke out against what they called a “wave of repression targeting political parties and opposition figures.” Some of the protest signs read: “Support for Varna and Blagomir Kotsev” and “Justice for Blagomir Kotsev.”