Greece’s basketball federation boss was arrested on Wednesday in a large match-fixing investigation that dates back ten years and includes several suspects, according to state agency ANA.
Vangelis Liolios will go before a magistrate for questioning on Thursday, the agency reported.
The warrants issued by a sports prosecutor also include three referees, a referee advisor, and a former athlete, ANA said.
One of those referees is currently active in the Euroleague, Greek media reported.
Greek media also mentioned that police found over 800,000 euros (about $899,000) in cash at the home of one of the suspects.
The Greek federation released a statement saying its governing board held an emergency meeting to update its members on the ongoing legal matters concerning basketball.
“The case will be monitored continuously, through official announcements and procedures,” the statement added.
ANA reported that around 50 games in Greece's top leagues and lower divisions are being investigated, including youth and school tournaments, going back to 2016.
Liolios, who is a pediatrician, became the federation chief in 2021.
At 59 years old, he was the chairman of Promitheas Patras and previously started the well-known Greek coffee chain Coffee Island.
The investigation reportedly started after a formal complaint from the Athens club Maroussi in April.
Other witnesses later confessed to accepting bribes, according to the reports.
Maroussi coach Ilias Papatheodorou had coached Promitheas Patras for two seasons up until last year.
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