Bulgaria Football Legend-Turned-Mayor Not Welcome in Own City

Yordan Lechkov, who has seen so many massive triumphs in his career as a footballer, has made it clear he will prove in court he is innocent. Photo by BGNES

The citizens of the town of Sliven will rise once again against their mayor Yordan Lechkov, best known as a key member of the Bulgarian football squad that finished fourth at the 1994 World Cup in the United States.

The embattled mayor faces vehement opposition from the citizens, hundreds of whom have signed up in a petition for his removal over alleged corrupt practices and will hit the streets on Wednesday.

This will be the third rally that the citizens of the city stage against their mayor.

The southern city of Sliven, known best for its stony landscape, strong winds and numerous gypsies, made headlines exactly a year ago after its mayor, football legend Yordan Lechkov, was kicked out of office by the local district court over alleged abuse of power. He was however reinstated just a few months later.

Prosecutors have raised nine charges against Lechkov, who is currently Vice President of the Bulgarian Football Federation.

The charges involve the sale of the flea market in the city which did not respect the decision of the municipal council. Lechkov is also alleged to have put pressure on the local National Revenue Agency office to cover up tax audits of certain local companies. Companies, linked to the Mayor, are also said to have benefited from dozens of public procurement deals.

Lechkov, who has seen so many massive triumphs in his career as a footballer, has made it clear he will certainly be acquitted.

The mayor's troubles started after his former business partner Radostin Rusev, who apparently felt irked, dominated or even bullied and made a reality check that showed Lechkov owed him BGN 20 M, stormed out of their partnership and staged a coup.

In a bid to surround himself with the right network, Lechkov sacked the director of the local National Revenues Agency Petko Dyulgerov, who however was later back with a vengeance as one of the key witnesses in the trial against him.

Tempers flared up even further thanks to Prime Minister Boyko Borisov, who unexpectedly broke away from the group of Lechkov's friends.

Lechkov however is determined to stand his ground and has made it clear he has no intention to resign. Even though estimates show that the municipality he heads has long gone into bankruptcy thanks to a series of suspicious public procurement deals and embezzlement of EU funds.

It is namely European Union funds and the key role that local authorioties have in their distribution that fuelled the unprecedented interest of people outside the key political formations in mayoral posts prior to Bulgaria's entry into the European bloc.

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