Six suspects held in Greek bribery investigation

Six suspects in the basketball bribery and match-fixing investigation in Greece were brought to the Evelpidon courthouse in Athens on Thursday morning. Lawyers asked for a postponement. The investigating judge gave the defense the legal three-day period to review the file prepared by sports prosecutor Apostolis Grammenos.

The judge set the testimony dates separately. Former referee Petros Papapetrou will testify on Friday, while the president of the Hellenic Basketball Federation, Vangelis Liolios, and businessman Giorgos Mavraganis will testify on Sunday. EuroLeague referee Vasiliki Tsaroucha, referee Ilias Koromilas and former referee Anastasios Piloidis will appear before the judge on Monday. The suspects will be held in custody until their testimony on the grounds that they pose a flight risk.

The defense rejected the charges. The lawyer for Tsaroucha and Koromilas said the money found was "the product of legal activities." Liolios's lawyer, Panagiotis Papaioannou, described the file as "a badly constructed conspiracy."

The investigation covers the ten years between 2016 and 2026. The case began with a tip about the Maroussi club and expanded with evidence provided by two informants who admitted to receiving cash. Both were granted full immunity as protected witnesses. About 50 suspicious matches are being examined, only two of which were played in the top league. In the searches, 931,463 euros in unexplained cash, 14 mobile phones, six laptops, 22 USB drives, two tablets and two SD cards were seized.

Time is short for the federation. If the judge brings formal charges next week, the EOK board will have 15 days to elect someone to replace Liolios. If it fails to do so, the Ministry of Sport will step in, dissolve the board and call new elections.