A school principal has been arrested on suspicion of corruption with EU funds, caught receiving a bribe, the European Public Prosecutor's Office announced.
The school principal requested 10,225 euros (20,000 leva) from a contractor participating in a publicly funded school renovation project. The project is funded under the "School-STEM Environment" procedure, supported by EU funds through the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF), with additional co-financing from the Bulgarian state budget.
The school has successfully secured funding, with the total agreed value of the project being 46,000 euros (90,000 leva) including VAT. It is alleged that after the payment for construction and repair activities was made, the school director asked the contractor to return part of the funds to her, instead of using the entire amount for the planned repairs.
After an initial meeting in early February, the school director agreed to receive the bribe in two installments - after the first and last payment under the contract. On February 20, the director was arrested while accepting the first installment of 5,115 euros (10,000 leva).
The school director has been charged, and a European prosecutor has ordered his detention for up to 72 hours. A request will be submitted to the court for a preventive detention measure.
The investigation is ongoing.