!["[The local authorities] don't look favorably on me. I know all these people's tricks," says Bulgarian journalist Ivan Atanasov. (file photo)](https://gdb.rferl.org/01000000-c0a8-0242-3538-08db25627f77_cx0_cy6_cw0_w250_r1_s.jpg)
A Bulgarian journalist with a penchant for hard-hitting stories probing official malfeasance and corruption is awaiting word on possible charges after a bizarre run-in with authorities over ancient coins and possible national heritage objects.
Regional prosecutors conducted warrantless searches of Ivan Atanasov's offices and home in the town of Harmanli, in the southern Haskovo region, and detained him for 24 hours following an anonymous tip alleging he possessed protected historical and cultural objects.
Atanasov says the incident centers around folders of coins he came across in the days before the raids and that he intended to comply with a law giving citizens seven days to hand over rare finds to a museum for evaluation.
Regional prosecutors say the warrantless searches of Atanasov's office and home in the town of Harmanli, in the southern Haskovo region, along with his 24-hour detention, followed an anonymous tip alleging he possessed protected historical and cultural objects.
Atanasov told RFE/RL's Bulgarian Service that he suspected the raids and detention might be linked to his journalistic work, which included confronting district officials in recent weeks with possible evidence of human trafficking.
"It turned out that my coins are the most important thing in the fight against organized crime," Atanasov said wryly.
Atanasov publishes the Sakar News local information website and produces investigative stories for the For The Truth website, which works with independent regional journalists around the country.
Some of his recent reporting has focused on organized crime and the trafficking of migrants, and he said he is currently seeking information linked to the Bulgarian State Agency for National Security (DANS) in connection with money initially confiscated from detained illegal migrants.
"I've written that the [border and security] services are turning a blind eye to the migrant flow, and I've written other [critical materials]," Atanasov said. "[The local authorities] don't look favorably on me. I know all these people's tricks."
Bulgaria lies on one of the continent's major people-smuggling routes. In February, 18 migrants were found dead in an abandoned truck near the capital, Sofia.
Atanasov's detention came weeks ahead of the country's fifth national elections in just two years, with every seat valuable in a race that is expected to be closely fought.
One of Atanasov's recent stories alleged the existence of a vote-buying scheme in the town of Simeonovgrad involving the mass issue of identity cards ahead of the voting on April 2.
Atanasov last year uncovered a conflict of interest that contributed to the dismissal of a judge who is the daughter of a former GERB lawmaker, Georgi Stankov.
The Haskovo region is home to ancient Roman and Byzantine ruins dating as far back as the fourth century.
Atanasov is an amateur treasure hunter who acknowledges keeping a personal collection of artifacts of local interest displayed in the offices of Sakar News.
Authorities from the Interior Ministry and its unit to combat organized crime (GDBOP) conducted the raids, which began before midday on March 14.
The local district prosecutor's office in Haskovo later announced that the operation was carried out "under conditions of urgency," a circumstance that can mean police are not required to notify prosecutors or courts. It is usually invoked to prevent an imminent crime or apprehend a wanted fugitive.
It listed two metal detectors, "numerous coins," and other items "bearing the marks of archaeological sites under the Cultural Heritage Act and clothing bearing signs of protected trademarks, for the use of which the owner did not have permission."
Atanasov was released without charges, and he told RFE/RL this week that he expects the coins in question to be examined by experts to determine any possible heritage status.
Prosecutors said investigations were pending and a decision would follow over possible criminal liability.
Atanasov told RFE/RL that he planned to file a complaint and seek a court determination that his arrest was illegal.
Atanasov's lawyer argues that the detention was unwarranted, particularly since his client had no previous criminal record.
Bulgaria has grappled with accusations of rampant corruption at the highest levels of government for decades, and European institutions have repeatedly urged Sofia to clean up its judiciary, including by eliminating politically motivated actions by senior officials, including in the Prosecutor-General's Office.
It also earned a reputation as one of Southeastern Europe's worst defenders of media freedom before rebounding slightly to the 91st spot out of 180 countries in Reporters Without Borders's 2022 World Press Freedom Index.
Atanasov last year uncovered a conflict of interest that contributed to the dismissal of a judge who is the daughter of a former GERB lawmaker, Georgi Stankov.
"Ivan Atanasov is a journalist with high professional ethics," a local psychologist in the city of Hraskovo named Georgi Stankov (who is no relation to the ex-legislator) wrote on Facebook after reports of Atanasov's detention. "I've seen his little collection of small antiques in the Sakar News editorial office, and it's probably been seen by thousands of visitors over the years. This incident is no accident."
