Kardzhali Mayor Erol Mumun was taken in for questioning on Thursday as part of an investigation into alleged misconduct linked to a public procurement contract worth more than 5 million leva, according to Interior Minister Ivan Demerdzhiev.
Initial reports from several Bulgarian media outlets claimed that Mumun had been detained, but Demerdzhiev later clarified that the mayor had not been arrested and was instead being questioned in connection with an ongoing pre-trial investigation into alleged official crimes carried out on an especially large scale.
Authorities are examining suspicions that the contractor selection process for the procurement was manipulated and that some of the activities covered by the contract were either not fully completed or improperly reported. Searches were also conducted inside the Kardzhali Municipality building as investigators collected documents and evidence related to the case.
“We promised very clearly that the laws in Bulgaria will be applied strictly and equally to everyone. There will be no territories with different rules and no people above the law,” Demerdzhiev said during a briefing. He added that if the mayor had not committed any wrongdoing, “there is no reason to worry.”
