site.btaPlovdiv Mayor Charged with Malfeasance in Office

Plovdiv Mayor Charged with Malfeasance in Office

Sofia, January 10 (BTA) - The mayor of the second largest Bulgarian city of Plovdiv, Ivan Totev, has been charged with malfeasance in office, said the Sofia Prosecution Office Tuesday. Prosecutors believe that Totev's offence has caused the city purse detriment amounting to 1 million leva.

In the period between April and November 2014, Totev violated his official obligations in connection with a project for construction of a Zoo Corner in one of the city parks, the prosecutors say. He contracted the project works directly with a company in violation of the public procurement legislation and before a project design was ever approved and a building permit issued. An integrated report for conformity assessment of the development project design with the effective construction standards had not been prepared by the time of contracting either.

Prosecutors say that Totev's actions aimed to secure a profit for the contractor, Zapryanovi 03, amounting to 1 million leva to the detriment of Plovdiv Municipality.

The probe against Totev was opened on November 3, 2016.

The Mayor is free on a 20,000 leva bail.