Former referee Petros Papapetrou was remanded in custody on 23 October 2026 after the first of six suspects' hearings, with the investigating judge and prosecutor both agreeing.
Police found 820,000 euros at his home. He says the money built up from bank withdrawals and about 1.5 million euros of income from 2001 to 2026.
A key witness says Papapetrou took four bribes, the first for 50,000 euros. Papapetrou submitted evidence placing him elsewhere for two of the meetings and denies the other two.
MEGA reported that eight or nine referees may be involved in five to seven matches, and presenter Katerina Panagopoulou said more arrests were coming.
Former referee Petros Papapetrou was remanded in custody on Friday, 23 October, after answering questions before the ninth regular investigating judge in the Greek basketball match-rigging case. He arrived at the judge's office at around 13:00 and was the first of six suspects to testify. The investigating judge and the prosecutor agreed to the custody order once the hearing ended. He is accused of bribery and taking bribes to alter the outcome of matches under article 132 of the sports law, covering 50 games in total. Reports differ on how long the hearing lasted, from about three hours to more than eight. Remand in custody is not a conviction, and the sources describe no verdict.
Police found 820,000 euros in cash at his home in Pieria, which some reports place in Katerini. His lawyer, Orestis Georgiadis, told reporters after the hearing that the defence had submitted many documents on the legal origin of the 1.5 million euros. According to those documents, which cover 2001 to 2026, the former referee had income of about 1.5 million euros from refereeing, from his job at the forestry office (Δασαρχείο) and from family income. Papapetrou told the judge that he owns his home in Katerini and keeps his living costs low. He said he withdrew money from his bank accounts over many years, which is how the cash built up, and that he chose to keep part of it at home.
A key witness alleges that Papapetrou was bribed four times, the first time for 50,000 euros, while the amounts for the other occasions are not stated in the reports. Papapetrou called the witness unreliable. He submitted material he says shows he was somewhere else during two of the meetings described. He denied that the other two meetings took place and rejected any improper contact with the witness.
MEGA's Friday evening bulletin reported that other referees may also be in the sights of the justice system. Journalist Vasilis Lampropoulos said key witnesses refer to the accused controlling the entire central refereeing committee and holding meetings with referees before decisive matches in major divisions. He said eight or nine referees may be involved, and that others were reportedly in the know for five to seven such matches. Presenter Katerina Panagopoulou said more arrests were coming. These are claims from a television report on the case file, and the sources do not show them confirmed by police or prosecutors.
The other five suspects are due to testify in the coming days. Evangelos Liolios and businessman G. Mavraganis are scheduled for Sunday, 25 October, and the remaining three suspects for Monday, 26 October. The six people questioned in the case were arrested in the same investigation, and their accounts will shape how the file develops.
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Petros Papapetrou was the first of six suspects to testify, and the 820,000 euros in cash found at his home is central to the case.
AI text based on reports by NEWS 24/7, Η Ναυτεμπορική, ΣΚΑΪ and other publishers. Published .