The alleged members of a criminal organisation accused of using a non-governmental organisation (NGO) as a front to pocket money intended for seriously ill children were living a life of luxury, according to investigators.

Evidence gathered through the lifting of banking and telephone confidentiality for the main defendants reveals an extravagant lifestyle allegedly funded directly from the association’s accounts through sham companies.

One example is the fictitious company “MVP MEDIA GROUP”, whose accounts received €55,000 directly from the association. Instead of being spent on children’s medical needs, the money was allegedly squandered on lavish consumer spending and luxury holidays.

In particular, payments from the MVP MEDIA GROUP account included €2,700, plus a separate transfer of €405, to Louis Vuitton; €574 for a meal at an extremely expensive restaurant in Mykonos; €2,738.76 for a hotel booking; €1,049.73 on food deliveries; €728.04 to an airline; and €2,500 to a car rental company.

On 23 October 2026, one of the female defendants reportedly boasted during a telephone conversation that they had paid €250 for a two-hour cruise.

Transfers totalling €4,775 from the same company were also traced to accommodation for the main defendant at a five-star resort in Hersonissos, Crete, during the summer of 2026. A further €24,300 was withdrawn in cash.

Meanwhile, two defendants allegedly booked only suites at top hotels. On 22 October 2026, the woman booked a two-night stay at a hotel costing €425 per night, asking reception to look up her partner’s name because they were “regular customers and always stay in a particular suite”.

Similarly, on 18 August 2026, the man requested a corner suite on the first or second floor of a well-known hotel, costing €480, for an overnight stay. On 19 and 24 August 2026, he booked suites at a five-star hotel in Pefkochori, Halkidiki, costing between €487 and €810, always paying in cash and waiting there for a foreign woman.

Sick children exploited

The darkest aspect of the case concerns the alleged outright embezzlement of money donated by thousands of ordinary citizens to help three children and young people with serious health conditions. Two of them subsequently lost their lives.

Of the €549,996.66 raised through fundraising campaigns for the three children, their families received just €62,800. The remaining €487,196.66 – a staggering 88.6% of the total – was allegedly retained by the NGO.

The investigation found that, in the case of a child born in 2011 from Aigeiros, Komotini, who suffers from a serious neurological condition, members of the public donated a total of €73,200.43. The child’s family received not a single euro. Those responsible for the NGO allegedly offered the family the infuriating and false explanation that the money had supposedly been “frozen due to a lack of the appropriate supporting documents”.

In another case, involving a young man born in 2003 from Naousa who suffered from acute myeloid leukaemia and died on 23 July 2021, the NGO organised two fundraising campaigns: one to cover the family’s living expenses and another… to pay for the young man’s funeral.

Although €136,374.95 was raised, the family received just €7,000 in total, with the remaining €129,374.95 allegedly ending up in the pockets of the criminal group.

Football matches and communications with a police officer

Beyond the alleged plundering of the NGO’s donations, intercepted communications by the Hellenic Police revealed that the main defendant allegedly played a central role in illegal betting and the manipulation of football matches. These included both Super League Under-19 youth league fixtures and local matches organised by the Pieria Football Clubs Association. One of his main contacts was reportedly a serving police officer.

A particularly telling case dates to 27 September 2026, shortly before a youth match began. The main defendant called the police officer and gave him what he described as a high-risk “sure bet”: “Over 2.5 goals and both teams to score”.

The referee had allegedly been bribed, while three major turning points occurred within 13 minutes, including two penalties and a red card.

In a conversation, the defendant himself reportedly revealed that he had received 10 telephone calls about the match and had inside information that “another goal would be scored after the 80th minute”. That is exactly what happened in the 93rd minute, setting the final score at 3-2. The defendant reportedly staked between €1,400 and €1,500 and made a profit of €7,000.

Before another match, the defendant allegedly instructed a player from a Pieria-based team to try to “elicit refereeing decisions”, claiming that the referee had been bribed. On match day, 19 September 2026, he also demanded that no video camera be installed at the ground, reportedly “so that the referee would not be influenced and would stick to what had been agreed”.

During the match, the defendant reportedly laughed as he told the police officer that his team were leading 1-0 thanks to a “non-existent penalty” and a “non-existent red card” for an opposing player.

The match ended 2-1 in favour of Vataniakos, following a second penalty. Firinidis allegedly told an official from the opposing team provocatively that “the match would last as long as necessary until we won”.

He later discussed the match with his brother, saying that it had cost them a total of €1,000 to secure the victory.