President of Greek Basketball Federation arrested over match-fixing
Vangelis Liolios, president of the Greek Basketball Federation, has been arrested during an investigation into the fixing of roughly 50 matches in Greece's top basketball division since 2016. Six people have been arrested, including Euroleague referees and a businessman.
Arrest of President of Greek Basketball Federation
Vangelis Liolios, president of the Greek Basketball Federation, was detained on Wednesday following an arrest warrant as part of an investigation into match-fixing spanning more than a decade. According to Greek news agency ANA, cited by naiz.eus, Liolios will appear before an examining magistrate on Thursday. The 59-year-old executive was elected president of the federation in 2021.
The investigation involves six people arrested in total. In addition to Liolios, those arrested include Vasiliki Tsaroucha and Petros Papapetrou, both referees—one currently active in the Euroleague and the other retired months ago—; Elias Koromilas, head of referees and adviser to Greece's basketball regulatory body with an extensive background in European competitions; Anastasios Piloidis, former referee; and Giorgos Mavraganis, businessman and former basketball player.
The inquiries cover approximately 50 fixed matches from Greece's top division and lower categories since 2016. Greek media report that police found more than 800,000 euros in cash at the home of one of the suspects. The investigation began following a complaint filed in April by the Athenian club Maroussi, although subsequently other witnesses admitted to having received bribes.
The board of the Greek Basketball Federation met on Wednesday to inform its members of the legal developments. Liolios, a paediatrician by profession, had previously chaired the club Promitheas of Patras and founded a chain of cafés in Greece.
Source: Google News ES — Crime (es)