ATHENS — The corruption probe into Greek basketball has widened to include former Euroleague Basketball senior director of officiating Richard Stokes, who has been linked in court documents to Hellenic Basketball Federation president Vangelis Liolios. Prosecutors are investigating six suspects, including Liolios and prominent EuroLeague referees, on charges of bribery and unfair interference across roughly 50 suspicious games in a case spanning a ten-year window from 2016 to 2026.
According to case files, Stokes was tied to illicit favours centred on an all-expenses-paid stay at the Costa Navarino luxury resort in June 2021. A team insider testified he was asked to organise the three-week getaway during a meeting with three of the six known suspects — Liolios, Ilias Koromilas and Giorgos Mavraganis — with Liolios, who then ran Promitheas before taking over the EOK two months later, allegedly paying the 17,000-euro bill. The insider confirmed he emailed the booking details directly to Koromilas, who stayed at the property at the same time as Stokes.
Prosecutors believe Liolios funded the stay to secure favourable treatment for his club and to push for the advancement of referee Vasiliki Tsaroucha in continental assignments. Records show Tsaroucha had visited the same resort a year earlier.
The trip took place just months after the controversial 7DAYS EuroCup Final between UNICS and AS Monaco, a fixture that involved allegations against Koromilias that have since been rejected. Stokes served as Euroleague Basketball's referee director from March 2015 until June 2023, overseeing officiating across the EuroLeague and EuroCup.
The investigation remains ongoing as prosecutors examine the wider network of alleged interference. The latest testimony follows hearings in Athens being postponed as the bribery scandal reached court, with authorities continuing to scrutinise the extent of influence across domestic and continental competitions.