Greek police arrest six in probe of charity scheme that targeted sick children

Police operation across Greece

Officers from the organised crime unit for Northern Greece, working with the Financial Crime Prosecution Department, carried out a coordinated operation on the morning of Friday, 30 October 2026. Police were deployed in dozens of areas, including Piraeus, Akarnania, Magnesia, Pieria, Corinthia, Larissa, Ilia, Trikala, Chania, Imathia, Arta, the First and Second Dodecanese, Kavala, Drama, Zakynthos, Rhodope, Euboea, Kozani, Fthiotida and Arcadia. Six members of the group were arrested during the raids. A criminal case file was compiled against them, with the charges listed as applicable to each person. The probe began after a complaint questioning the transparency of the association's activities and was carried out under a prosecutor's order.

How the network was split

According to the investigation, the group was divided into two sub-groups with separate fields of activity, linked by one common member, a 37-year-old man who played a central role in both. The first sub-group consisted of three people: the 37-year-old man, a 35-year-old woman and a 32-year-old man. Police say it was formed at least as early as October 2018. Its members allegedly ran fundraising drives through an association registered as a non-governmental organisation, without the licence the law requires for such appeals. They posted stories of children with serious illnesses such as cancer on social media and asked for money for treatment, hospital stays, travel and family accommodation.

The second sub-group allegedly began operating in September 2026 with the 37-year-old man and three other people. It is accused of financing amateur and professional football clubs with undeclared sums. Police also allegedly found that the group repeatedly used different photographs and details of the same children, inflated hospital costs and requested money for expenses already covered by insurance funds.

Donations and luxury spending

Investigators say most of the donations never reached the families they were meant for. For 34 children whose parents were examined, donations credited to accounts totalled 3,940,692 euros, of which 1,111,176 euros were paid to families. The investigation put the organisation's illicit financial gain from those donations at 2,829,516 euros. Across the accounts of the association and the 37-year-old man, more than 5.8 million euros had been credited since 2018.

Donations credited3,940,692

Paid to families1,111,176

Illicit gain2,829,516

Donations credited

3940692 EUR

Paid to families

1111176 EUR

Illicit gain

2829516 EUR

Data from the article text

The allegedly illegal proceeds were used for luxury living, including purchases of branded goods, stays at upscale accommodation and restaurant meals. Press reports said the 37-year-old man deposited more than 2.6 million euros in betting accounts and made withdrawals from them. Investigators say the group also used personal and company accounts, shell companies and betting transactions to make the money look legitimate.

Charges and match-fixing

The case file lists charges that vary by suspect and include membership of a criminal organisation, aggravated fraud, aggravated embezzlement and money laundering. It also cites breaches of the laws governing amateur and professional sport. A separate charge of bribery and bribe-taking aimed at altering the result of a match is included in the file. Police say the group used part of the illicit money to fund football clubs and manipulate matches. All six arrested people are suspected of the acts described, and none has been convicted.