EPPO Bulgaria: Petrich Mayor Indicted for EU Project Fraud

(Luxembourg, 21 October 2026) – The European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) in Sofia (Bulgaria) has filed an indictment at the Sofia City Court against the mayor of Petrich, a municipality at the border with Greece, accused of fraud involving the reconstruction of a building to convert it into a cultural heritage museum under an EU-funded project. At issue is a project to showcase the shared cultural heritage of Bulgaria and Greece, as part of the ‘Cultural Dipole in Cross-Border Area’ initiative, co-financed with €646 857,59 by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) under the 2014-2020 INTERREG V-A Greece-Bulgaria Cooperation Programme. Under the terms of the funding agreement, the funds were to be used to rehabilitate Petrich’s former military camp and transform it into a museum dedicated to the history of the city and the surrounding region, as part of a wider cross-border initiative to promote the shared cultural heritage of Bulgaria and Greece. However, based on the evidence, the mayor concealed the fact that the original military barracks had been demolished before the reconstruction works began. Despite the fact that the EU funds allocated to the project could only be used for rehabilitation, the building was in fact constructed anew. By hiding this information, the mayor violated the eligibility conditions for EU funding under the INTERREG V-A Greece–Bulgaria programme. If found guilty, he faces between two and eight years of imprisonment. All persons involved are presumed innocent until proven guilty by the competent Bulgarian courts of law. The EPPO is the independent public prosecution office of the European Union. It is responsible for investigating, prosecuting, and bringing to judgment crimes against the financial interests of the EU.