Mithat Tabakov, former lawmaker from Bulgaria's liberal and mostly ethnic Turkish Movement for Rights and Freedoms party, DPS, has been taken 3 days ago to the Varna jail.

Tabakov is now serving a 5-year sentence in the prison in the Black Sea city.

The news emerged Tuesday during a court session in a case against him and his fellow former DPS Member of the Parliament, Gyunay Sefer.

Tabakov has been taken to the Varna jail on February 1 to serve his 2011 Sofia City Court sentence over charges of violating, in his capacity as mayor, the Public Procurement Act by awarding a public contract for the construction of a new water supply and sewerage system to a company close to his family which deprived the northeastern municipality of Dulovo.

His Deputy Mayor at the time, Altan Chaushev was a co-defendant in the above case and received a 4-year effective sentence.

The verdicts were appealed before the Sofia Appellate Court and Supreme Court of Cassation, but the latter recently upheld the rule of the lower instances.

As it emerged that Tabakov is now jailed, the Tuesday session was postponed for April 2, where he will be brought to the courtroom by security guards.

Tabakov and Sefer have been indicted in other cases as well which are still in trial stage.