The Burgas District Court has determined a measure of restraint „house arrest“ for three of the main defendants in the high-profile corruption scandal at the local water company.
The magistrates' decision was made in the late hours of August 7 after a nearly eight-hour closed-door session.
Among those placed under house arrest is the former director of ViK-Burgas Tsvetan Mirchev, along with two other employees of the enterprise – one in a management position, and the other - a technical person. The state prosecution insisted on the most severe measure “detention in custody“, but the court considered that at the moment house arrest was sufficient to guarantee their participation in the trial.
Manipulated water meters and a “peace“ fee for hoteliers
According to official data presented by the Burgas District Prosecutor's Office, the group operated from February 2024 to mid-July 2026. The scheme covered between 30 and 50 large hotels along the Southern Black Sea coast, mainly in the areas of Sunny Beach, Nessebar and Ravda.
The criminal scheme functioned as follows:
- The technical person from ViK-Burgas has installed special equipment or directly manipulated the water meters of the sites to report drastically lower consumption than the real one.
- Instead of official bills to the company, hotel owners paid a "peace of mind" fee in cash.
- Monthly or seasonal amounts varied between 10,000 and 30,000 leva per hotel, depending on the capacity and number of tourists.
- In the event of refusal to pay, the facilities were immediately subjected to a show inspection, reports of tampered devices were drawn up and a threat was made to shut off the water within two weeks.
The political trail and the surrender of Hristo Shirokov
Investigators reveal that the funds accumulated by the black fund were transferred directly to the regional chairman of the Bulgarian People's Rights Party in Burgas Hristo Shirokov. Initially, Shirokov was not found at his addresses, as he was in Turkey, but yesterday he voluntarily appeared at the building of the Regional Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs in Burgas.
Shirokov categorically denied guilt in front of journalists and stated that he was not in hiding, but was abroad for health reasons. He described the charges as “political pressure“ related to his party function. His detention will be considered separately today (August 8).