Accused referee Petros Papapetrou has been remanded in custody following his testimony in the ongoing basketgate scandal. The examining magistrate and the prosecutor determined that Papapetrou — the first defendant to testify in the case — must be taken into pretrial detention. Upcoming testimonies are scheduled for Sunday, when Greek Basketball Federation (EOK) president Vangelis Liolios and businessman Giorgos Mavraganis will appear before the court, followed on Monday by referees Ilias Koromillas, Vaso Tsaroucha, and Ilias Piloidis.
During his two-hour testimony before the examining magistrate, Papapetrou presented documents in an attempt to justify the €820,000 found in his possession. He claimed that between 2001 and 2026, he accumulated income totaling approximately €1.5 million — derived from his work as a referee, his position at the local forestry service, and family income. He stated that he lives in his own home in Katerini, has modest living expenses, and deliberately chose to keep a portion of his savings as cash at home, building up the sum through withdrawals over the years. According to Papapetrou, the accumulated amount is entirely legitimate and fully accounted for.
Regarding allegations made by a specific witness that he accepted bribes on four separate occasions, Papapetrou presented evidence showing that, for at least two of the alleged meetings, he was elsewhere at the time. He categorically denied any involvement in the remaining two incidents as well. However, his explanations failed to convince either the examining magistrate or the prosecutor, and he was ultimately ordered into pretrial detention.
