Rumen Stefanov Pavlov

Public record

Compiled from publications and official records as of 24.10.2026. Every statement links to its source; claims made by others are marked as such, with who makes them. Quotations in English are our translation.

Corruption and scandals

• КПКОНПИ: conflict of interest over a hotel used by his brother and daughter. By a decision of 13.05.2020 the commission found that as mayor of Strazhitsa he acted in a conflict of interest, providing material benefits to his brother and his daughter. He bought the municipal property that now operates as the hotel Ralitsa at an auction in 2008; it was used first free of charge by his brother's sole-trader business and, from 01.02.2019, under a contract by his daughter's company. As the official in charge of the budget he signed payments to both traders for fuel, lunches, dinners, cocktails and overnight stays at the site. “The КПКОНПИ decision imposed fines on mayor Pavlov totalling 15,000 leva” (our translation). Confiscation for the state of the benefit of 53,350 leva was also ordered. — 24 Chasa, 13.05.2020
• Supreme Administrative Court: a municipal plot via a municipal driver to his wife. The Supreme Administrative Court finally upheld the КПКОНПИ finding of a conflict of interest and the fine of 5,000 leva: a municipal property sold at auction in 2016 for 11,472.30 leva to a man employed as a driver by the municipality was resold by him in 2017 to the mayor's wife for 6,340 leva. According to the court there were economic ties and the mayor acted in his private interest. Fakti.bg notes that this is the commission's third decision finding a conflict of interest against him. — Fakti.bg, 16.02.2022
• Vegetation-clearing permits in favour of his brother. The Administrative Court in Veliko Tarnovo held that he had a conflict of interest: as mayor he signed 11 orders and, on their basis, 69 permits for clearing shrubs and trees on properties in favour of his brother, as well as a contract in favour of the same person. Trud: “The court has upheld the fines imposed on him, in the amount of 55,000 leva” (our translation). The ruling can be appealed to the Supreme Administrative Court. — Trud, 07.06.2022
• Pre-trial proceedings and seized documents, the file sent to the Specialised Prosecutor's Office. Trud: “The District Prosecutor's Office in Gorna Oryahovitsa had opened pre-trial proceedings against Rumen Pavlov” (our translation). The proceedings date from 2019 and concern a conflict of interest; documents and computers were seized from the Strazhitsa town hall at the time, and a year later the file was sent to the Specialised Prosecutor's Office in Sofia as the competent body. The outcome of the investigation is unclear, the paper writes. — Trud, 17.09.2021

Other

• Declared assets: 35 properties worth 1.2 million leva. Yantra DNES, citing the declarations filed with the Audit Office: “The richest among the mayors in the region is the mayor of Strazhitsa, Rumen Pavlov” (our translation). The properties belong to him and his wife and include commercial sites, hotels and a petrol station; he also has 62 pieces of farm machinery and a Porsche, and no bank loans. — Yantra DNES, 24.06.2016