The Guardian: Bulgarian Businessman Killed in Broad Daylight in Sofia

An influential businessman has been shot dead outside his office in broad daylight in Sofia, in a case likely to raise questions about organised crime in Bulgaria, writes the Guardian. 

The killing of Petar Hristov in an affluent Sofia neighbourhood on Monday happened just days after Bulgaria took the reins of the EU's six-month rotating presidency for the first time since joining the bloc in 2007.

Petar Hristov, a 49-year-old executive said to have close ties to Bulgaria's ruling party, was shot in the chest while getting into his jeep shortly after 10am on Monday morning. He was taken to hospital but died of his wounds half an hour later. Witnesses said the shots came from a nearby car. 

Bulgaria's chief of national police, Hristo Terziyski, told reporters it was likely business interests were behind the killing.

Hristov was the owner of a large dairy company, Laktima, and also had interests in construction, real estate and tourism.

According to Bulgarian media, Hristov was close to Bulgaria's ruling European Development of Bulgaria (Gerb) party and had taken part in numerous party events. The daily newspaper Dnevnik described him as an ally of the prominent Gerb politician, Tsvetan Tsvetanov, a former interior minister, who is deputy chair of the party.

According to Gerb's website, Hristov had campaigned in 2016 for the party's presidential candidate, Tsetska Tsacheva, who went on to be defeated by Rumen Radev, a political newcomer allied to the Socialist party.

The killing of Hristov comes amid close scrutiny from Brussels, which has criticised Bulgaria for doing too little to fight criminal gangs and official corruption. Three weeks ago, a senior tax official was shot in his car in central Sofia. He remains in a...