Bulgaria Authorities Bust Football Boss Ivaylo Drazhev

Ivaylo Drazhev (front), former President of the “Chernomorets” football club in Burgas, has been arrested just one day after the murder of controversial journalist, Bobi Tsankov (back). Photo by BGNES

The police in the Black Sea city of Burgas arrested Wednesday football boss and businessman, Ivaylo Drazhev.

Drazhev has been detained with a prosecutor's warrant around 3 pm and is going to be escorted to Sofia.

The warrant stems from 2007 pre-trail proceedings and a 2008 summons by the National Investigative Services as a witness.

Drazhev is the former President of the “Chernomorets” football club in Burgas and a candidate for political posts in several election campaigns – local and for Member of the Parliament from the "Bulgarian Patriots" Union ticket.

His name was tangled in several scandals precisely over those campaigns. In the 2008 summer general elections, Drazhev, asked the authorities to release, alleged notorious crime boss, Zlatomir Ivanov aka Baretata (the Barret) from jail with the motive Baretata was his advocate for the parliamentary run. The court rejected the request.

Baretata is linked to organized crime, two murders for hire and three attempted murders. His name was mentioned numerous time in connection with the Tuesday murder of controversial journalist, Bobi Tsankov, who was gunned down in broad daylight on a busy Sofia boulevard. Tsankov was known for his ties with the mafia, including Baretata, and for publications revealing the dark secrets of the underworld.

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