„Why are only MRF mayors the target of such actions?“ – this question was raised by the Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly and the MRF parliamentary group Ayten Sabri after the Mayor of Kardzhali Erol Mumun was taken for questioning.
Mumun was taken to the district administration together with his legal representative. According to information from the MRF, police officers had previously carried out actions in the municipality and at the mayor's home. Official details about the subject of the inspection and its procedural status have not been announced.
“The self-dealing of the ruling party with the mayors and with the voters of the Movement for Rights and Freedoms continues“, Sabri told journalists. She said that this is the third consecutive day in which actions have been taken against mayors of the Movement for Rights and Freedoms.
Three actions in three days
On October 21, officers of the Directorate of the Bulgarian Anti-Corruption Bureau and the National Security Service entered the municipality of Belitsa and the home of mayor Radoslav Revanski. After an action that lasted about seven hours, he was taken out in handcuffs and detained. Revanski is also the deputy chairman of the Movement for Rights and Freedoms.
According to BNT, documents and computer configurations were seized during the actions. The media reported that the inspection was related to alleged abuses of public procurement and European funds, including projects related to the “Road Infrastructure“ Agency. At this point, the prosecutor's office has not officially announced whether Revanski has been charged.
A day earlier, an operation was carried out in the municipality of Sungurlare. Mayor Dimitar Gavazov was detained, and according to the published information, the inspection was related to public procurement. Thus, within three consecutive days, actions by investigative bodies affected the mayors of Sungurlare, Belitsa and Kardzhali - municipalities governed by representatives of the MRF.
The political version of the MRF
Ayten Sabri linked the actions to the political confrontation between the MRF and the ruling party. “We are almost certain that this is because the MRF decided to expose all of Radev and Koprinkov's schemes. That is why there is this pressure on our mayors“, she said.
The MRF described the actions as ostentatious police actions and stated that it would refer them to European institutions and judicial bodies. The party claims that the security services are being used as a political tool.
These allegations have not been confirmed by the prosecutor's office or the Ministry of Interior. Publicly announced data indicate that the inspections are related to public procurement, European funding and other alleged violations. Until the investigations are completed, no guilt of any of the mayors has been judicially established.
The MRF will assess its next actions according to the charges that may be brought. It remains unclear at this time whether the investigations against the three mayors will be combined and when the prosecutor's office will provide official information about the results of the actions in Kardzhali.
Sources: bntnews.bg, nova.bg, vesti.bg