Former Owner of Bulgaria Football Club Drazhev Released on Bail

The interrogations of murky Burgas businessman Ivaylo Drazhev (left) have turned out to be unrelated to the murder of scandalous journalist Bobi Tsankov despite earlier reports to the contrary. Photo by BGNES

Sofia District Court released on bail Friday the former owner of the Burgas-based football club “Chernomorets”, Ivaylo Drazhev.

Drazhev was arrested on Wednesday and escorted to Sofia by police. The Prosecutor’s Office demanded his permanent detention over charges of document fraud, i.e. a case in which he used a fake warrant of attorney.

However, the Sofia City Court ruled that there was sufficient evidence on the charges and that Drazhev was not expected to hide or commit another crime.

According to the accusations, Drazhev had prepared fake warrants of attorney on behalf of the former Burgas Mayor Yoan Kostandinov for the renting and lease of various municipality-owned properties.

The document forgery investigation against Drazhev goes back to 2007. He has also been investigated for a 1998 car accident where the football boss is accused of causing the death of 2 people and sending another one to a wheelchair. This is the second accident in which Drazhev, allegedly, caused a fatality, and the case has been dragging on for 11 years without a verdict. Drazhev claims the investigator had not followed proper procedures.

Reports that linked Drazhev’s arrest to the murder of controversial journalist Bobi Tsankov in Sofia on January 5, 2009, have been dismissed as untrue.

Hours before the arrest, Drazhev said in an interview that he was firendly with the murdered controversial journalsit, Bobi Tsankov, who was gunned down on January 5 in broad daylight on a busy Sofia boulevard. He also said that Tsankov used bodyguards and a SUV from the businesses of alleged top crime boss, Zlatomir Ivanov aka Zlatko Baretata (the Barret). Drazhev used the same company for security during the July 2009 general elections where he was a majority candidate for Member of the Parliament from the "Bulgarian Patriots" Union ticket.

Also during the elections, Drazhev asked the authorities to release Zlatko Baretata from jail with the motive he 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.

In addition to the Parliamentary elections, Drazhev, who is a businessman and former President of the “Chernomorets” football club in Burgas, ran for local elections. In January 2009, Drazhev stirred another scandal when he decided to run for President of the Bulgarian Football Union, but at the last moment was banned from attending the Union's congress with the motive he withdrew his application.

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