Construction of resort complex Riverside Village was under way in Irakli-Emine, despite the fact that the area was a Natura 2000 protected area, civil group Save Irakly said.

On the website of Swiss Properties, swissproperties.net, photo's of the construction have been published. The photo's show the foundations of buildings with a swimming pool, which are part of the villa village. The photos are dated January 13 2008.

The ecologists said that the pictures showed that despite a clear threat from the European Commission to cut all structural funds to Bulgaria if Natura 2000 areas were not protected from construction and urbanisation, the investor Swiss Property launched large-scale construction in the area.

The construction violated not only EU legislation, but also a number of Bulgarian laws.

Irakli had become a symbol of a new way of thinking in Bulgaria and in the fight against corruption, the violation of basic civil rights and the authorities’ habit to deal non-transparently, ecologists said.