By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
Greek Basketball Federation president Vangelis Liolios was reportedly arrested on Wednesday, October 21, as part of an investigation into alleged bribery in Greek basketball.
According to ieidiseis.gr, arrest warrants were issued for six people following a three-month investigation led by sports prosecutor Apostolis Grammenos.
Multiple reports say six people have been arrested, including Liolios, with former referee and Central Refereeing Committee official Ilias Koromilas reportedly among them.
The other individuals named in the reports as subjects of arrest warrants were referees Vasiliki Tsaroucha and Petros Papapetrou, who recently retired, former referee Anastasios Piloidis, and businessman and former basketball player Giorgos Mavraganis.
The investigation concerns suspected bribery offenses under sports legislation. According to the same report, the individuals concerned had previously been summoned to provide explanations as suspects but did not appear.
Authorities expected to take the arrested individuals to Athens police headquarters and bring them before a prosecutor on Thursday, October 22, for the next stage of proceedings. The reported allegations have not been established in court.
Panathinaikos reaction to the arrests
Panathinaikos issued the following press release on the matter: “For years, Panathinaikos BC AKTOR has endured outrageous refereeing decisions by very specific individuals who have repeatedly been appointed in violation of the rules. The Club has lost titles, been forced to play behind closed doors in an arena it paid for with its own money, and paid hundreds of thousands of euros in fines, all because its owner, Dimitris Giannakopoulos, publicly condemns and speaks out against the disgraceful things that everyone sees but remains silent about. He has been targeted, subjected to vicious slander, banned from watching his own team, and prevented from attending his Father’s memorial service.
Panathinaikos BC AKTOR stays and continues to compete in games officiated by referees who have faced felony charges, by referees who keep hundreds of thousands of euros in cash in their homes. It stays and continues to compete with referees who have no respect for the sport. It stays and continues to compete within a rotten system that violates what we love most. Basketball.
You tried to wear us down. You attempted to turn every ideal, every principle of logic, and reality itself upside down. You believed you were succeeding. However, you forgot something crucial. PANATHINAIKOS IS NOT ABOUT CUPS, TITLES, JERSEYS OR INDIVIDUALS. PANATHINAIKOS IS A VALUE. And those of us who serve this Club know very well that, by defending it, we are defending its history, the Greens, JUSTICE and its PRINCIPLES.
Panathinaikos BC AKTOR will take legal action to reclaim what was stolen by a regime of corruption. We owe it to our fans, who endured this ordeal live before their eyes, and, of course, we owe it to our players and coaches, who were deprived of what was rightfully theirs. And we will do it. This will be our next victory against the regime.
Good luck in your darkness.
Good luck in your irrelevance.
The light of the Sun will always prevail.
P.S.: Panathinaikos BC AKTOR is closely monitoring developments and will issue further statements whenever deemed necessary.”
Make 
Your Preferred Basketball Source.
Add Eurohoops to Google