The Sofia Municipality is conducting a large-scale inspection of signals for alleged violations of construction control in the territory of the “Vrbnitsa“ area, with the investigation covering not only the widely commented case of the warehouses near Evropa Blvd., but also a number of other sites in the area. This was announced by the Deputy Mayor for Urban Planning and Development, Arch. Lyubomir Georgiev.
According to him, the municipality's actions began even before the topic became public knowledge. The reason for the inspections was information submitted by an employee who worked in the regional administration, who initially turned to the mayor of Sofia, and subsequently to the relevant deputy mayor.
After receiving the signal, an inspection was carried out by the Sofia Inspectorate, and the collected materials and findings were sent to the prosecutor's office for follow-up action.
Arch. Georgiev specified that in addition to the case with the halls, the municipality is working on numerous other signals, including those submitted by citizens. Part of the documentation has already been analyzed, and inspections will continue in other places in the region.
According to him, the main question is why in recent years there has not been sufficiently effective control over construction activity and how such problems have been allowed to accumulate.
Regarding the halls near “Evropa“ Blvd., the deputy mayor stated that the sites are currently not functioning and are sealed. The controversial point, according to him, is whether during the inspections carried out on site there was a construction site or already constructed buildings. This is precisely what is yet to be clarified by the competent institutions, including the prosecutor's office and the State Agency for National Security and Defense.
He also revealed that a total of 15 signals have been examined on the topic, some of which were received through the prosecutor's office. The conclusions of the Inspectorate for Combating Corruption were sent to the state prosecution at the end of April.
Arch. Georgiev defended the principle that regional administrations should have the authority to control construction, but noted that the effectiveness of this control depends on the capacity of the respective administration. According to him, the differences between the individual regions are due to both the workload and the personnel problems caused by the low salaries in the municipal system.
As an example, he cited regions with intensive construction such as “Mladost“, “Pancharevo“ and “Novi Iskar“, where the pressure on the administration is significantly higher.