A parade of defendants will appear before the examining magistrate from today through Monday, as six accused individuals face charges of match-fixing, suspicious communications, and financial transactions in Greek basketball. Accused referee Petros Papapertrou will be the first to appear before the magistrate this afternoon, followed on Sunday by Vangelis Liolios and businessman and former athlete Giorgos Mavraganis. The cycle of testimonies will conclude on Monday with referees Vasiliki Tsaroucha, Ilias Koromillas, and Anastasios Piloidis.
Basketball scandal: Revelations of five-star hotel perks, thousands of euros changing hands, and teams moving up and down the leagues
According to sources, all defendants deny the charges and maintain they have no involvement in the bribery and corruption allegations attributed to them in each case. According to the same sources, the testimony of the first witness — an active referee — includes references to approximately 30 second-division matches between 2018 and 2026, for which match-fixing allegations have been made. Among these references is a match from a school championship held in Paphos.
It is worth noting that, according to the official announcement by the Hellenic Police, a total of €931,463 was seized from the residences of those arrested. Of this amount, €820,000 was found at the home of Petros Papapertrou, who is reported to have claimed he possesses all necessary supporting documentation. An additional €102,000 was discovered at the residence of Ilias Koromillas, and a sum exceeding €8,000 was found at the premises of the president of the Hellenic Basketball Federation (EOK). Prosecutors also regarded as significant the testimony of a basketball official who reportedly referred to a communication he had with accused referee Tsaroucha in 2018, in which she allegedly asked him to arrange a vacation for her at the well-known luxury resort Costa Navarino — with the witness mentioning a room rate of €380 per night. The relevant message allegedly read: “Can you arrange for me to go to Costa Navarino?”
As part of the case, messages allegedly sent by the accused businessman to those who have filed complaints against him have reportedly been submitted as evidence. In one of these messages, the sender is attributed the phrase: “X… must absolutely lose — I want to destroy them wherever I find them, because they are my enemies…” The case file reportedly also includes a separate complaint relating to a second international match. According to testimony allegedly given by a former referee, a foreign colleague told him that accused referee Koromillas had approached him, asking him to favor one of the two teams in his officiating decisions. The witness reportedly submitted an official complaint that the foreign referee had sent to Greek authorities at the time, along with a relevant screenshot. This evidence is expected to be evaluated by the competent judicial authorities.
Also of significant interest is a reference to a sum of €50,000. The witness — a basketball official — reportedly claimed he received this amount from accused Liolios as a financial favor during a period when he was facing economic difficulties. The reference is connected to a match involving his team against Promitheas, during the period when Liolios served as president of the Patras-based club. According to the same claim, the witness was aware that his team would lose that particular match, and he was reportedly told that assistance would be provided in a subsequent game through the referees. He reportedly testified that the accused referee received €5,000 for the following match. The same testimony also references the official’s team’s journey toward promotion to the first division — a promotion that was reportedly secured before the team subsequently withdrew in favor of Promitheas, a service for which he allegedly received €100,000.
This incident is reported to have taken place in 2016. First-division matches are also in the frame, as the allegations are not limited to the second tier. According to sources, the case materials include references to top-flight matches as well, among them encounters between Promitheas and PAOK, Aris, and AEK. The breadth of the allegations and the number of matches cited make the evaluation of testimonies and documents by judicial authorities critical in determining whether specific criminal liability can be established. Yesterday, Michalis Dimitrakopoulos — who represents KAE Maroussi and filed the original complaint with prosecutors that launched the investigation last April — held a press conference. “Mr. Liolios has privileged access to referee assignment information. We came under attack, and lawsuits were filed claiming that the use of text messages constituted a violation of personal data. In this case, the charges are built on text messages. The offense carries a prison sentence of up to 10 years. When an examining magistrate issues an arrest warrant, it means not only that there is solid evidence and serious indications, but also that another message is being sent — that these individuals are dangerous,” Dimitrakopoulos stated, among other remarks.
