The president of the Hellenic Basketball Federation (EOK), Vangelis Liolios, and five other accused are due to appear before an investigating judge today, Thursday 22 October, in connection with an alleged basketball match-fixing case. Authorities are examining around 50 games, as well as the origin of €820,000 in cash reportedly found at the home of one of the accused.
Charges and next steps
The six face, depending on the individual case, charges of bribery and accepting bribes under sports legislation with the aim of manipulating matches.
The investigation is drawing on witness statements, electronic messages and digital evidence.
The accused may request a deadline to study the case file and prepare their defence statements.
People close to them maintained that, as of Wednesday, they had not been informed of all the evidence attributed to them. They also disputed initial reports that they had previously been called to give explanations to the prosecutor’s investigation.
The six accused
Besides Liolios, the warrants concern:
- Giorgos Mavraganis, businessman and associate of Liolios
- Vaso Tsarouha, international referee
- Petros Papapetrou, former referee
- Ilias Koromilas, chief referee and special refereeing adviser
- Tasos Piloidis, former referee and member of the Central Refereeing Committee
The warrants were executed in full on Wednesday evening, when Mavraganis presented himself voluntarily at the Attica General Police Directorate (GADA). Earlier, Tsarouha had been arrested at the airport on her return from Constantinople.
The complaints and messages
A key element of the case is a complaint filed by Maroussi BC on 16 April concerning the operation of the EOK and the relationship between its president and Promitheas Patras.
This followed public statements by coach Ilias Papatheodorou, who since November 2025 had been raising complaints about events in the Greek championship. The dispute continued in the following months, with the EOK referring both Papatheodorou and Maroussi BC to its Ethics Committee.
The case file includes messages that Liolios allegedly sent to Papatheodorou between 2023 and 2025, when the coach was working at Promitheas. In one of them, Liolios allegedly informed him of the refereeing crew for an upcoming game, noting that the information was confidential.
The material had also been examined by the Professional Sports Committee, which in early June called Liolios, Promitheas BC and its shareholders to a hearing. Around a month later, the committee revoked the team’s certificate, finding that the EOK president continued to participate substantially in the club’s management and operation, despite his declared withdrawal from its ownership in 2020.
That decision related to his administrative involvement in the club and did not constitute proof of match-fixing.
Witness statements and digital evidence
According to reports, eight witness statements have been gathered in the prosecutor’s investigation. Particular weight is being given to two witnesses, who allegedly described interference in games and claimed they had received money in the past to manipulate matches.
Their claims are being assessed alongside the other evidence and have not yet been examined by a court.
Mobile phones, computers and storage devices seized during searches of homes are also being examined. Authorities are looking for communications or financial transactions that may be linked to the alleged offences.
The cash and the games under examination
The sum of €820,000 was reportedly found at the home of Petros Papapetrou in Katerini. According to the same reports, a smaller amount was found at Liolios’s home, which different sources put at between €8,000 and €10,000.
The origin of the money and any possible connection to the case remain under investigation. Possession of cash does not in itself prove that an offence has been committed.
The investigation covers around 50 games over a period of at least five years, including matches in the Greek Basketball League (GBL), lower divisions and youth competitions. Reports indicate that school championships are also being examined.
Earlier complaints over games in Paphos
Coverage of the case has also revisited complaints over the semi-final of the Panhellenic School Championship held in Paphos last March, between Anagennisi Schools of Patras and the Hellenic College of Thessaloniki.
The Thessaloniki team led 58–45 around 12 minutes before the end, but Anagennisi won 64–60, on a 19–2 run. The Hellenic College had lodged a complaint over the refereeing.
In the final the following day, Anagennisi beat Ypatia Schools 90–81. According to a report by SDNA at the time, the winners took 52 free throws against 20 for their opponents, in a game marked by technical fouls, a player ejection and protests.
The objections over these games were made public before the current case, and no connection to any criminal offence has been established.
EuroLeague and federation responses
On Wednesday, EuroLeague Basketball removed Vaso Tsarouha from refereeing appointments until the investigation by the Greek authorities and the organisation’s own internal review are completed.
The EOK Board of Directors held an extraordinary meeting the same day. The federation said it had been informed of the legal process and would follow developments through its institutional bodies.
The case has also drawn coverage from international media, including L’Équipe, MARCA, BasketNews and Reuters.
The investigation remains open, with the judicial authorities assessing the witness statements, the financial findings and the electronic communications, as well as any possible connection to specific games. All of the accused are presumed innocent.
This is a developing story.
With information from protothema.gr
