Corruption-Probing Bulgarian Journalist Dismisses Drugs Bust as ‘Theatre’

An award-winning journalist with the record of investigating local corruption in Bulgaria has accused the local authorities of framing him after he was charged on Tuesday with the illegal possession of drugs.

Prosecutors in the town of Silistra filed charges against Dimiter Petzov on Tuesday for possession of drugs and ordered the imposition of restraining measures.

The associate of the Anti-Corruption Fund in Silistra for about two years told BIRN on Wednesday that he suspected he was arrested on May 2 in order to intimidate him.

He said he would not appeal against the court order prohibiting him from leaving the town. "I've been ordered the lightest measure of restraint, not to leave the town without permission," he told BIRN, adding: "I won't be making an appeal."

After his arrest, police claimed to have found 11.7 grams of ecstasy, 7.2 grams of heroin, 13 grams of amphetamine and 7.2 grams of cannabis in his car. He was held for 24 hours.

But on May 3, he wrote a lengthy Facebook post claiming that one of the police officers during his arrest had indirectly implied that the action was related to "something" that he had written earlier, which allegedly caused "panic".

A few days before his arrest, on April 28, he said he had sought information from the local police about a recent anonymous donor to the police, who has supplying them with food and drinks at their checkpoints since the start of the state of emergency. He said he suspected that his arrest and his previous interest in this topic might be connected.

In an interview for dnevnik.bg on May 6, Petzov also claimed the arrest was suspicious. "The actions and behaviour of the police officers seemed strange and uncharacteristic to me. I'm in contact with police...