site.btaInterior Ministry Structures Are Preparing Report on Martin Bozhanov, Interior Minister Says

During parliamentary control on Friday, Minister of Interior Daniel Mitov said he has instructed all involved structures in his ministry to prepare a detailed report on Martin "the Notary" Bozhanov and the identification of specific persons in the Interior Ministry who may have had unregulated relations with him. The report will be prepared by the Inspectorate, Internal Security, Human Resources, the Capital Directorate of Internal Affairs and the General Directorate for Combating Organized Crime.

Martin Bozhanov was shot dead in a gated complex in a Sofia suburb on the evening of January 31 2024. According to media reports, he was a large-scale fixer of people's problems with the judiciary. He has been implicated in building a network of connections with prosecutors and judges whom he allegedly bribed, threatened, blackmailed or otherwise pressured to treat his "clients" favourably. In early February, Parliament set up an ad hoc committee to probe the facts and circumstances surrounding the activity of Bozhanov and his group.

During the parliamentary hearing, Interior Minister Mitov was also asked about the work of the Single Points of Contact and Exchange of Information between National and International Police Authorities (SPOC). He stated that it was already operational and working round the clock. A bill amending and supplementing the Law on the Ministry of the Interior is to be submitted to the National Assembly, which will fully transpose the EU directive on the work of the SPOC.