site.btaEx-Deputy Mayor Says His Deposition against Varna Mayor Was False and Coerced

In a social media post Wednesday, former Varna Deputy Mayor Dian Ivanov announced Wednesday that he has testified against Varna mayor Blagomir Kotsev under pressure from the Counter-Corruption Commission and that he has now recanted his testimony. Ivanov later confirmed that to BTA.

In addition to working together, Kotsev and Ivanov are widely known to have been close friends, and reports of the former deputy mayor against the mayor came as a surprise for many.

Ivanov wrote on Facebook: "Today I submitted a statement to the Sofia City Prosecutor’s Office, in which I declare that my testimony in case file DP 220/24 is untrue, as it was given under pressure from employees of the Counter-Corruption Commission – Sofia. We shall see what happens to me next…"

Blagomir Kotsev's Continue the Change party wrote, "The main witness against Mayor Blagomir Kotsev has officially admitted that everything he previously said was false".

Kotsev, who won the mayor's office in Varna on the ticket of Continue the Change - Democratic Bulgaria, was arrested on July 9 following a tipoff for corruption by a failed public procurement tenderer. The arrest caused an outrage and accusations of political repressions. Protests were held in Sofia and Varna, and more are planned for Wednesday, including in London, Brussels, Berlin and Munich. The Renew Europe group in the European Parliament, of which Continue Change is a part, condemned the growing attack on democratic institutions and the rule of law in Bulgaria, of which they believe the Varna Mayor's arrest is an illustration. The President of the ALDE Party and Member of the European Parliament, Svenja Hahn, wrote a letter to European Commissioner for Democracy, Justice, the Rule of Law and Consumer Protection, Michael McGrath, raising alarm over what she describes as a "systematic campaign of political pressure" against the Bulgarian opposition party Continue the Change. 

According to Ivanov’s post, he made depositions on July 8 and 9 to an investigative inspector from the Counter-Corruption Commission in Varna. Ivanov states that his deposition was given under pressure and was untrue, and that he is prepared to speak to a judge about that.