Gunned down on the court steps: Dramatic pictures show aftermath of botched hit on Bulgarian crime boss 'The Beret'
Zlatomir Ivanov, 44, was shot four times in his legs, arm and stomach
The mafia head was due to have surgery on the wounds after the broad daylight attack
Ivanov was at court to appeal against an eight-year jail sentence
Ivanov is known as Zlatko Baretata because he was once a member of counter-terrorist police force The Berets
He has been arrested on numerous charges over the years but has always been released
A crime boss nicknamed 'The Beret' was gunned down in broad daylight as he arrived at court to appeal against his sentence for masterminding a drug smuggling operation.
Bulgarian mafia head Zlatomir Ivanov, 44, was shot four times in his legs, arm and stomach on the steps into the Supreme Court of Appeal in central Sofia yesterday.
The underworld boss was probably shot by a sniper in a building opposite, a senior police officer said.
Wounded: Guards carry Zlatomir Ivanov (aka Zlatko Baretata) to safety after he was gunned down in front of the City Court in Sofia
Mystery gunman: The underworld boss was on his way to appeal against a drugs trafficking conviction when the shooter opened fire, probably from an opposite building
Ivanov, also known as Zlatko Baretata (Zlatko The Beret), was there to appeal against his eight-year prison sentence - not his conviction.
The drugs lord was taken to hospital along with his bodyguard, who was also shot.
The Beret, who had been under house arrest because of health problems, was due to have surgery on his bullet wounds.
His nickname comes from his time working for the Bulgarian Interior Ministry's Counter-terrorism Squad, known as The Berets, between 1991 and 1993.
Ivanov left the special police force in protest against the arrest of other 'berets' in the southern city of Haskovo when they clashed with local pimps.
Two other now notorious Bulgarian mobsters, Plamen Galev and Angel Hristov, joined him in his walkout, according to Novinite
The siblings, known as the Galevi Brothers, disappeared last year after being given jail sentences of five years each on organised crime charges.
Ivanov was born on October 15, 1968, in the southern Bulgarian town of Gurkovo.
Past life: The mafia head got his nickname from his former job working for the Bulgarian Interior Ministry's Counter-terrorism Squad, aka The Berets, from 1991 to 1993
Chequered history: He was a suspect in cases involving women trafficking, prostitution rings, the smuggling of stolen cars and murder
Violence: The Beret was taken to hospital for surgery after he was shot four times in his legs, arm and stomach. Pictured, police at the Supreme Court of Appeal
He graduated from a sports high school in the southern city of Stara Zagora, where he specialised in wrestling.
The mafia boss has official shares in more than 30 firms that provide security services and trade in oil, chemicals and pharmaceuticals. He also owns gambling venues, according to Focus news agency.
Between 1997 and 2001, he was a suspect in investigations into women trafficking, prostitution rings and smuggling of stolen cars.
His name has also been mentioned in murder cases and assassination attempts. He has been arrested numerous times but always freed.
In an interview with BTV, he said: 'If there are people, who are drug lords, their job would be the following – to keep the streets considerably peaceful, without killings and beatings.'
There were reports that a firm belonging to Ivanov's sister had a contract with the Bulgarian military to clear out their Chelopechene depot near Sofia after it exploded in July 2008 and prepare it for sale.
Corruption: Ivanov has been arrested many times but always freed. He is currently under house arrest and was shot in broad daylight as he entered court
Ivanov was arrested on February 7, 2009, after he turned himself in to Bulgaria's National State Security Agency DANS. He was charged with leading an organised crime group dealing with drug distribution and murders.
A well-known Sofia drug dealer, Dimitar Vuchev, aka Dembi, has since testified that Ivanov ordered the murders of several mid-level crime figures in Bulgaria, including another leading drug dealer, Anton Miltenov, aka Klyuna (The Beak).
Ivanov is also mentioned as a suspect in the assassination of mafia stories writer and former low-level mobster Georgi Stoev, who was shot dead in Sofia in 2008. His hearing was postponed in November because of missing lawyers and a fellow defendant.
Bulgaria, the European Union's poorest member, is still blighted by corruption and organised crime more than 20 years after the fall of communism, and is under pressure from Brussels to tackle the problem.
Of the attack on Ivanov at court, Prime Minister Boiko Borisov said: 'The site gives easy access for a shooting. If he had been in custody, he would have had protection.'
Borisov's ruling GERB party swept to power in 2009, promising to put an end to a climate of impunity, but has done little to put corrupt officials or crime bosses behind bars, or boost a struggling economy that has encouraged crime.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... -scam.html