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Greek Basketball Federation President Vangelis Liolios has been arrested as part of a major investigation into alleged match-fixing, illegal betting and bribery, with Greek authorities examining approximately 50 basketball games played over the past decade.
Liolios and four other individuals, including referees, were taken into custody on Wednesday, following the issuance of six arrest warrants, according to Greek media.
The investigation, led by Athens sports prosecutor Apostolos Grammenos and the Organized Crime Directorate, uncovered suspected manipulation of basketball games across several levels of competition, from youth and school tournaments to Greece's top professional league.
Authorities also reportedly discovered €820,000 ($955,000) in cash at a referee's residence in Katerini, a city in northern Greece, while approximately €7,500 was found at Liolios' home.
The investigation, which involved three months of inquiries, reportedly covers matches played between 2016 and 2026.
Greek news outlet iEidiseis reported that those detained included referees and a senior refereeing official, while businessman and former basketball player Giorgos Mavraganis remained wanted by authorities.
Among the referees reportedly arrested was Vasiliki Tsaroucha, who had officiated a BKT EuroCup game between Türkiye's Turk Telekom and Lithuania's Siauliai Basketbol. Tsaroucha was detained by authorities at Athens Airport after returning from Türkiye.
Prosecutor Grammenos reportedly requested Liolios' detention over concerns that he might flee.
Liolios, who has headed the Greek Basketball Federation since September 2021, is expected to step down under the applicable sports regulations once the charges are formally communicated to him.
The federation confirmed that its board had held an emergency meeting on Wednesday to discuss the legal proceedings and said it would continue following developments through official channels.
Greek basketball club Panathinaikos issued a strongly worded statement following the arrests, accusing the country's basketball system of allowing questionable refereeing practices to continue.
The club alleged that referees assigned to matches had been selected by certain individuals and expressed concern about officials facing serious criminal investigations.
Panathinaikos also referred to reports that substantial amounts of cash had been discovered at referees' residences.
"We will take legal action to reclaim what was taken from us by a corrupt system," the club said.
The club maintained that it had continued competing in matches officiated by referees whose conduct was now under investigation.
The individuals detained in connection with the investigation face allegations involving match-fixing, illegal gambling and bribery, although the accusations have not been established in court.
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