Basketball match-fixing scandal: six arrested at Evelpidon courts
Greek Basketball Federation president Vangelis Liolios and five other defendants were taken to Evelpidon courts on Thursday 22 October for a match-fixing case.
Six arrested for match-fixing appear before investigating magistrate
Six people were taken on the morning of Thursday 22 October to the Evelpidon courts, before an investigating magistrate, in connection with a match-fixing investigation in Greek basketball. To Vima reports that the execution of the six arrest warrants—issued by the sports prosecutor—marks a sharp acceleration in the case.
Who are the six defendants
The arrested individuals include figures from the core of Greek basketball:
- Vangelis Liolios, president of the Hellenic Basketball Federation (EBF)
- Giorgos Mavraganis, businessman and former athlete
- Vasso Tsaroucha, international referee
- Petros Papanetrou, referee who retired from refereeing last summer
- Ilias Koromelas, chief referee and special adviser on refereeing
- Tasos Piloidis, former referee and official of the Central Refereeing Committee
The charges against them include, as applicable, bribery and corruption offences under sports law.
Proceedings at the courts
According to information from To Vima, the lawyers of the defendants are expected to request an adjournment in order to study the case file and prepare their clients' statements. The case file is reportedly extensive, covering matches in all categories of Greek basketball over a period of ten years.
How the investigation began
The trigger for the prosecution's investigation was reportedly given by a complaint from Amarousio AEK in April. The complaint concerned issues related to the operation of the EBF and its president Vangelis Liolios.
This was followed by a systematic investigation with witness testimony. Two of these witnesses were considered particularly significant: they are reported to have described personal knowledge of fixed matches in which bribed officials participated. Because of their revelations, they were treated more leniently in criminal terms, triggering a chain of developments in the investigation.
Matches from youth championships to top-flight league
The case file is reportedly to have submitted messages and other material indicating match-fixing at all levels of Greek basketball—from youth and school championships to the Basket League. The time span of the cases allegedly extends from 2016 to 2026.
Source: To Vima