Starting January 5 2009, Sofia municipality initiated an on-site check to establish whether all clubs and restaurants in Students' Town are legally operating with all paperwork in place, private broadcaster bTV reported.

The area will receive special attention because of the recent murder of a student outside one of the clubs there, which inspired widespread public revulsion. Exactly one month ago, on December 5 2008, 20-year-old medical student Stoyan Baltov was beaten to death by a group of drunk men in front of Amnesia nightclub in a crowded area in Students' Town 

Baltov's death provoked student protests demanding an end to the violence in the borough and a safer environment for the thousands of university students living there. Traditionally a popular hangout for people of all ages, Students' Town boasts 18 nightclubs and 60 restaurants, according to bTV.

Two weeks after the incident, following numerous statements and meetings, Sofia municipality discovered that Amnesia was the only entertainment facility in Students' Town built on municipal land. It had gross irregularities and legal lapses in its building paperwork.

Sofia mayor Boiko Borissov reacted by dismissing Teodor Kolarski, the chief architect of Students' Town, for allowing administrative violations to take place in the district, Dnevnik daily reported on December 19 2008. Two days later, Borissov stated that Kolarski and former mayor Ventsislav Doudolenski should be investigated on suspicion of abusing their powers by allowing the illegal construction and the operation of the Amnesia nightclub.

Beginning the week of January 12 2009, Amnesia will be closed down as ordered by the agency for building control, bTV said.