Greek basketball rocked by match-fixing probe and €820,000 cash find

A massive scandal is rocking Greek sport after the president of the Hellenic Basketball Federation, Vangelis Liolios, and other basketball figures were arrested or named in arrest warrants over allegations of match-fixing, bribery and illegal conduct linked to games, while €820,000 in cash was reportedly found at a referee’s home. The developments emerged on Wednesday, following a three-month investigation by Athens sports prosecutor Apostolos Grammenos into allegations concerning Greek basketball, according to Greek sports media outlet Sport24. Six arrest warrants were issued in total, with the case reportedly involving the federation’s leadership, referees and other basketball figures. Liolios, who has led the federation since September 2021, was arrested on Wednesday afternoon, Sport24 reported. Three other people were also reported arrested, although reports differed on the identities of those detained as the investigation developed. The warrants reportedly concern alleged offences including bribery and accepting bribes under sports legislation, as well as suspected manipulation of matches in Greece’s top basketball division and other categories over at least the past five years. According to Sport24, the warrants cover three referees, a chief referee or refereeing adviser, and a businessman who is also a former athlete, alongside Liolios. Referees Vaso Tsaroucha and Petros Papapetrou were among those reported to be wanted, as was basketball official Giorgos Mavraganis. Papapetrou reportedly retired during the summer. Greek outlet SDNA separately reported that referee Elias Koromilas had also been arrested, and that €820,000 was found at the home of a referee in Katerini during searches connected to the case. The amount was described by the outlet as unexplained, but the allegations have not been established in court. The reports said searches of properties linked to people under investigation uncovered substantial sums of cash that authorities suspect may not be consistent with the individuals’ declared financial circumstances. The case reportedly includes complaints and allegations made by people in basketball, as well as messages and other evidence examined during the prosecutor’s investigation. According to Greek media, the warrants were issued after the case file was referred to an investigating magistrate, with the agreement of the sports prosecutor. The reported grounds for issuing the warrants included concerns that some suspects, who remain active in the sport, could potentially commit further offences. Those arrested were expected to appear before the investigating magistrate as the legal process continued. The investigation remains ongoing, and the allegations against the individuals mentioned are currently accusations rather than proven findings.