Podcast in English
Text size
Bulgarian National Radio © 2025 All Rights Reserved

Public killing in Sofia of a notorious figure who exerted pressure on magistrates

Photo: BGNES

On the evening of January 31, Martin Bozhanov, known in criminal circles with the nickname The Notary, was killed in Sofia in a public shooting. 
The Ministry of the Interior still has no versions of the murder, the collection of evidence continues, announced the Chief Secretary of the Ministry of the Interior, Zhivko Kotsev. 

The victim is suspected of being the perpetrator of hundreds of property frauds in the capital. His wife is an employee of the General Directorate for Fighting Organized Crime (GDBOP). She was fired in 2021 at the suggestion of the then director of the GDBOP, Kalin Stoyanov, but was reinstated by a court decision, the press service of the Ministry of the Interior states. 

According to the experts, the murder of Bozhanov bears the marks of a contract murder. "I am officially aware that the Sofia City Prosecutor's Office has received reports of threats from his side towards magistrates," Sofia city prosecutor Iliyana Kirilova said, BNR crime reporter Nikolay Hristov reported. 

From Brussels, Prime Minister Nikolay Denkov commented that the murder of Martin Bozhanov was evidence of a non-working judicial system, since despite the available information, the victim has no police record.



Последвайте ни и в Google News Showcase, за да научите най-важното от деня!
Listen to the daily news from Bulgaria presented in "Bulgaria Today" podcast, available in Spotify.

More from category

Warm and rainy across much of Bugaria

On Tuesday, overnight lows will range from 7°C to 12°C, rising to 12–16°C in eastern Bulgaria and around 9°C in Sofia. It will be a cloudy day with rain, mainly in the north and west of the country, which will continue into the night towards Wednesday...

published on 11/17/25 7:05 PM
Photo: National Seismological Center at the National Institute of Geophysics, Geodesy and Geography - BAS

3.5-magnitute earthquake in the region of Blagoevgrad

According to data from the National Seismological Center at the National Institute of Geophysics, Geodesy and Geography - BAS, at 16:48 an earthquake with a magnitude of 3.5 was recorded in the area of ​​the town of Simitli, near Blagoevgrad. The..

published on 11/17/25 6:00 PM

Homeless people in Sofia are the focus of a European study

There are significantly fewer homeless people in Sofia in comparison to major European cities. This is shown by data released today from an international study under an international project covering 35 European cities, funded by the European..

published on 11/17/25 5:44 PM