The murder of Martin Bozhanov: Why was he untouchable to justice despite reports of his criminal activities?

The investigation into the murder of Martin Bozhanov, widely known as “The Notary”, is ongoing.

• At the moment there is no one arrested for his murder;
• Božhanov is suspected as a perpetrator of hundreds of property frauds;
• He was the husband of an employee of the Chief Directorate for Combatting Organised Crime;
• Bozhanov's ties to the Ministry of Interior and influence in the Prosecutor’s office and judiciary are the most likely reason he was untouchable by justice;
• The scene of last night's assassination remains cordoned off by police, a second inspection of the crime scene is being made today.

How did Bozhanov remain untouchable to the judicial authorities despite suspicions that he was responsible for hundreds of property scams, and could the reason for this be traced to the fact that his wife Gergana is an employee of the state police? The Ministry of Interior is yet to check whether and what connections the man who was shot dead had.

Another public killing: No one arrested for the murder of Martin Bozhanov so far

Martin Bozhanov, nicknamed “The Notary”, is one of the people against whom partial confiscations of property have been successfully completed since the time when the anti-corruption commission was headed by Stoyan Kushlev. He is suspected of committing over 300 property frauds in Sofia alone. This activity is probably in the basis of the motives for his murder.

An offer of at least 100,000 euros emerged from a recording of an investigation by the NGO "Anti-Corruption Fund", in which the name of Martin Bozhanov appeared. The investigation was related to the arrest of businessman Veselin Denkov on charges of participation in a criminal group. Veselin Denkov lives in civil partnership with former Miss Bulgaria, Ivayla Bakalova.

The video showed that "Miss Bulgaria" was demanded a minimum of 100 000 euros for the freedom of her spouse, the businessman, Vesselin Denkov. The man asking for the money presented himself as an intermediary in the judicial system, and it was “The Notary” who directed his services.

"What we have been remembering lately are the cases of his mediation - offering payment to change criminal investigations," Tihomir Bezlov, a senior security expert at the Center for the Study of Democracy, told BNT programme “The Day Begins” on February 1.

"This guy has been interesting over the years, in relation to the case Krashevski, who was a notary public. The Sofia City Prosecutor's Office has received reports of threats from Bozhanov against magistrates who are not prosecutors. The case is being worked on and witnesses are being questioned. Other things are also being established," said Sofia City Prosecutor Iliana Kirilova.

Over the years, a number of reports have been filed against Martin Bozhanov, whose wife works for the chief directorate for combating organised crime.

"As far as I know, she was fired once, after which she appealed against this act of dismissal. She was reinstated and is currently still working in the chief directorate for combating organised crime , but is on maternity leave," Interior Ministry Secretary General, Zhivko Kotsev, said.

Asked by BNT whether Bozhanov's wife was the reason he was untouchable, Kotsev said:

"I don't think so, from my point of view we have proved that we will be absolutely intolerant!".

According to experts, the murder of Martin Bozhanov is a contract killing. According to unofficial data, a shell casing of a weapon was found in the area of the scene, but of a type that cannot be subjected to ballistic examination.

"The information was published that it was a shell casing from a 22-caliber cartridge. It is a small calibre ammunition. The special thing is that this ammunition - hunting bullets, when hitting a solid body, they flatten on impact and ballistic expertise of such projectiles is very difficult," said Milen Ivanov , former deputy rector of the Academy of the Ministry of Interior.

"It looks like a contract killing. I mean, it's not one of the two crimes we saw at the beginning of the year. It looks like something that happened in the summer with Alexei Petrov," Tihomir Bezlov said.

Also according to unconfirmed information, Bozhanov's two children witnessed the killing.

"Initial findings are that it was gunshots that hit the body and maybe the head of the person," said Ivo Iliev, Sofia's deputy city prosecutor.

Evidence and witnesses helpful to the investigation have been found. The Ministry of Interior refrained at this stage from giving a basic hypothesis for the murder, but the ambition is to discover today exactly where the shots came from. According to witnesses, there were two or three shots.

It also remains unclear why Bozhanov was at large after two magistrates reported that he personally intimidated them.