The prosecution in Gorna Oryahovitsa has launched a pre-trial proceeding regarding an alleged illegal wiretapping scheme inside the municipal building, following a formal signal about a listening device found in a room used by municipal employees, according to case records. More than 50 witnesses have already been questioned by investigators, including Mayor Nikolay Rashkov, as technical, video-technical, and audio-technical expert examinations are prepared. This unfolding inquiry runs parallel to an expected administrative ruling regarding the removal of Rashkov from office due to an established conflict of interest.
Prior Discoveries Shape The Gorna Oryahovitsa Wiretapping Probe
The current investigation stems from a report filed by a former municipal employee who stated that a listening device was discovered inside her office, according to judicial filings. Investigators are currently reviewing who installed the equipment, the exact date of installation, and the intended purpose behind the surveillance. Municipal leadership notes that this recent discovery follows an earlier, unreported incident from the very beginning of the current mandate in 2023.
According to Municipal Council Chairman Ognyan Stoyanov, just one week after he and Mayor Nikolay Rashkov took office in 2023, they hired a licensed firm to inspect several rooms within the municipal building. During that initial check, technicians found a listening device hidden inside an electrical power strip plugged into Stoyanov’s office computer. Stoyanov explained that the apparatus consisted of a microphone paired with a SIM card designed to transmit recordings to a mobile phone.
Did You Know? When a specialized firm inspected the municipal building in 2023, the SIM card found inside a listening device in the council chairman’s office was registered to a woman living in a village within Strazhitsa Municipality who had no connection to the local administration.
Political Friction And Potential Administrative Consequences
The ongoing probe compounds existing political tension in Gorna Oryahovitsa, where the Municipal Electoral Commission is expected to review a Supreme Administrative Court ruling confirming a conflict of interest involving Mayor Nikolay Rashkov. That specific legal case centers on municipal land contracts signed after Rashkov assumed office through a procedure he participated in prior to becoming mayor. If the commission votes to prematurely terminate his mandate, the municipality will face an extraordinary round of early mayoral elections.
Regarding the differences between the two incidents, Stoyanov noted that no formal legal complaint was filed with prosecutors following the 2023 discovery because officials assumed the hardware was a leftover remnant from the prior administration. By contrast, in the current matter, municipal employees reportedly carried the newly discovered device directly to investigative authorities. Stoyanov confirmed that the staff members who occupied the office where the latest device was found are no longer with the local administration, following a structural reorganization approved by the Municipal Council at the mayor’s recommendation.
Frequently Asked Questions
What triggered the current pre-trial proceeding in Gorna Oryahovitsa?
The investigation began after a signal from a former municipal employee who reported finding a listening device inside her office in the municipal building.
Who has been questioned or examined as part of the ongoing inquiry?
More than 50 witnesses have been questioned, including Mayor Nikolay Rashkov, while technical, video-technical, and audio-technical expert examinations are scheduled to be prepared.
What was found in the municipal building in 2023?
A licensed firm hired by newly elected officials discovered a microphone and SIM card device hidden inside an electrical power strip in the office of Municipal Council Chairman Ognyan Stoyanov, though no legal complaint was filed at that time.
How will this case impact local governance?
The outcome depends on whether the Municipal Electoral Commission decides to prematurely terminate the mandate of Mayor Nikolay Rashkov following the Supreme Administrative Court’s confirmation of a conflict of interest.
What actions are investigators currently taking?
Prosecutors and investigators are working to determine who installed the device, when it was mounted, and what purpose it served.
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