The arrest of a Bulgarian mayor on corruption charges has drawn protests in Sofia and other cities by defenders of the politician who say the accusation against him are politically motivated.
Blagomir Kotsev, the mayor of the city of Varna, was detained last week and charged over the alleged embezzlement of funds to finance his party. Supporters say his arrest is part of a government campaign targeting the opposition.
The charges arose after the owner of a catering company accused him of demanding a bribe to greenlight a contract. Kotsev has denied the accusations.
One official who testified against Kotsev later said he had been pressured to do so.
Thousands of people demonstrated on July 16 in front of the court house in Sofia, carrying banners calling for him to be freed and saying the law is not a weapon. Expatriate Bulgarians also rallied at the European Parliament in Brussels.
"We want to stop the lawlessness that is happening in the judicial system and for it to start working for the people," Albena Simeonova, a 57-year-old teacher, told AFP in Sofia.
The protest was one of several since Kotsev's arrest in Varna, Bulgaria’s third-largest city.
The European Parliament group Renew Europe, which Kotsev's party belongs to, has also called for his release, saying his arrest is "political repression" and slamming it as "a direct assault on European values."
Two municipal councilors from Kotsev's coalition and a businessman were also arrested.
The four politicians allegedly participated in a criminal group that embezzled funds from a call for tenders, according to the prosecutor's office.
Bulgaria has been governed since January by a coalition led by the conservatives of the GERB party of former Prime Minister Boyko Borisov, who lost power in 2021 after massive anti-corruption protests against his government.
Kotsev of We Continue the Change/Democratic Bulgaria -- also known as PP-DB -- was elected mayor of Varna on November 6, 2023, defeating GERB opponent Ivan Portnih.
