Mayor of Northwestern Bulgarian Town Faces Embezzlement, Malfeasance Charges

Zlatko Zhivkov, Mayor of the northwestern Bulgarian town of Montana, has been charged with malfeasance in office and embezzling receipts from municipal waste disposal fee.

Zhivkov, who is in his fourth term in office as Mayor of Montana, was charged with violating Art. 254 and Art. 282, para. 2 of the Penal Code at the National Investigation Service on Tuesday.

According to Svetozar Lozanov, District Prosecutor in Vratsa, the investigation was opened on a tip-off of the Audit Office based on the 2010 audit report of the municipality and signals from municipal councilors in Montana.

Lozanov, as cited by the Bulgarian Telegraph Agency (BTA), explained that the investigation of the tip-offs had been assigned to the District Prosecutor's Office in Vratsa and then redirected to the Appellate Prosecutor's Office in Sofia due to Zhivkov's office and for the purpose of impartiality.

The Mayor of Montana has been charged with embezzling around BGN 700 000 in receipts from waste disposal fees and with malfeasance in office related to public procurement.

According to the prosecuting authority, Zhivkov signed a public procurement contract in disregard of conflict of interest.

If the ongoing investigation brings enough evidence of Zhivkov's guilt, the indictment will be presented in court.