The former head of the European Union funds directorate at the National Road Infrastructure Fund (NRIF), Lyubomir Lilov, pleaded guilty to charges of soliciting a bribe, but denied the accusation that he intented to use the money to pay a bribe to a colleague to influence the decision to re-zone a land plot, mediapool.bg reported on July 8.

Lilov and his colleague, Ivan Vladimirov, who was the head of the Ispa programme at the Fund, were arrested in January after they were caught red-handed receiving a bribe. Sofia City Court held its first hearing of the case on July 8, with Vladimirov pleading not guilty on all charges.

Lilov is accused of demanding and accepting 25 000 leva bribe on January 24 2008 to influence Vladimirov, who was allegedly asked to co-ordinate amendments to the master plan in the village of Ledenika in Veliko Turnovo municipality, Focus news agency reported.

Lilov and Vladimirov's testimonies are expected to be heard at a later court session. Lilov's defence lawyer requested some of the witnesses not to be questioned. The former chief of NRIF, Vesselin Georgiev, who was forced to resign as a consequence of an unrelated corruption row, was due to appear in court on July 8, but he never made an appearance.

Architect Georgi Yanev, who was demanded the bribe and tipped off the police, testified on July. He said that he was constantly afraid for his life and that his business has suffered from the media spotlight he found himself in.