The European Public Prosecutor’s Office has brought charges against the owner and manager of a company in connection with suspected fraud in a public procurement for trolleybuses in Vratsa, Bulgaria. The indictment, filed in the Sofia District Court, concerns a project worth 4.5 million euros (8.8 million leva), funded by the European Cohesion Fund as part of efforts to reduce air pollution. The procurement aimed to supply nine electric trolleybuses for the municipality’s urban transport system, with the Municipality of Vratsa and the municipal transport company listed as beneficiaries.

According to the investigation, the defendant secured the contract by falsely claiming that the vehicles were produced by a Polish manufacturer. However, evidence revealed that the trolleybuses were actually purchased from a Belarusian state-owned company, which was later subjected to EU sanctions. The Polish company cited in the tender declared liquidation shortly after the procurement process concluded. Further findings indicated that the trolleybuses were resold at nearly double the original purchase price paid by the contractor.

The case was brought to the attention of the European Public Prosecutor’s Office following a report from a private individual, as none of the relevant national authorities had identified or flagged the issue. During the investigation, the European Delegated Prosecutor encountered an unusual situation where some of the enforcement measures, approved by a Bulgarian court, were only partially executed by the responsible police authority.

Under Bulgarian law, if convicted, the suspects could face prison sentences ranging from two to eight years.