The partner of Konstantinos Firinidis, the man identified by Greek police as a central figure in an alleged multimillion-euro charity fraud, is among those arrested in connection with an investigation into a non-profit organisation that raised money for seriously ill children.
Vasiliki Manisioti, 35, the mother of two children, is accused of playing a role that went beyond her personal relationship with Firinidis, according to the police case file. Investigators are examining her involvement in promoting fundraising appeals, her ownership of several businesses and financial transactions allegedly linking the charity’s donations to private accounts.
The investigation centres on Paidiki Chara, or Child’s Happiness, a Greek non-governmental organisation that solicited donations for children facing serious medical conditions. Police suspect that funds raised through emotional appeals to the public were diverted from their intended beneficiaries and used to finance personal spending and commercial activities.
Firinidis, 36, frequently displayed an affluent lifestyle on Instagram, sharing photographs and videos from luxury holidays, expensive restaurants and football matches. His posts included trips to Germany to watch Bundesliga games and visits to PAOK’s Toumba Stadium in Thessaloniki, where he reportedly claimed to have rented a private hospitality suite and invited friends to join him.
Those social media posts have attracted renewed attention as investigators compare the lifestyle portrayed online with banking records, company ownership and the financial activities of the charity.
Manisioti’s involvement in the charity
According to the police investigation, Manisioti was actively involved in promoting Children’s Joy through social media.
She shared fundraising campaigns and publicised the organisation’s appeals for financial assistance to children suffering from serious illnesses.
Facebook and Instagram were central to the charity’s fundraising strategy, investigators say. Appeals typically included photographs of children, descriptions of their medical conditions and explanations of the treatment costs or other financial needs that donations were intended to cover.
The organisation attracted considerable public attention, with well-known Greek entertainers, athletes and business figures reportedly donating money or sharing its appeals with their followers.
Police identified 92 fundraising campaigns involving 74 purported beneficiaries, of whom 55 were successfully identified.
Investigators also allege that, in certain cases, different photographs or personal details were used in connection with the same child, potentially concealing the fact that previous fundraising appeals had already taken place.
Manisioti formally left the organisation on 1 February 2025. However, investigators are examining whether her departure was part of a wider attempt to distance individuals associated with the charity from subsequent commercial activities.
The alleged sham divorce
One of the most significant findings in the police case file concerns the divorce of Firinidis and Manisioti.
According to investigators, the couple divorced only days before two companies were established in which Manisioti and her younger brother became shareholders.
Police describe the divorce as a sham, alleging that the couple continued their relationship and remained living together despite formally ending their marriage.
Investigators suspect that the divorce, combined with Manisioti’s earlier departure from the charity, was intended to obscure connections between those controlling the organisation and the individuals behind the newly established companies.
The allegations remain part of an ongoing criminal investigation and have not been established by a court.
Manisioti’s 31-year-old brother, Petros Manisiotis, was also arrested during the police operation.
Two companies, 99% ownership and nearly €150,000 in disputed invoices
On 21 April 2026, two companies were established with the same registered address in Thessaloniki, Greece’s second-largest city.
The first, MVP MEDIA GROUP E.E., operated in the advertising sector.
The second, ELPIS HEALTH CARE MEDICAL COORDINATION E.E., listed activities including healthcare service coordination, business consultancy and tourism promotion.
In both companies, Manisioti held a 99% ownership stake and served as manager and legal representative. Her brother owned the remaining 1%.
According to the case file, Petros Manisiotis handled the companies’ accounting affairs.
Police suspect that both businesses were used as vehicles for transactions designed to give an appearance of legitimacy to money allegedly obtained through unlawful activities.
Financial investigators identified nine invoices with a combined value of €149,700 that they believe were fictitious.
Authorities are investigating whether these documents were used to present suspicious financial transfers as legitimate commercial transactions.
More than €5.8 million passed through the accounts under investigation
The financial investigation, conducted with assistance from Greece’s Anti-Money Laundering Authority, involved an extensive examination of banking activity.
Officers analysed 29 bank accounts and payment institution accounts in Greece and abroad, reviewing more than 246,000 individual transactions.
According to investigators, more than €5.8 million was credited to accounts belonging to the charity and to Firinidis personally between 2018 and 2026.
The investigation alleges that some of the donations that did not reach the intended families were transferred into personal accounts held by Firinidis and Manisioti, either directly or through cash withdrawals followed by fresh deposits.
Investigators also identified spending on luxury accommodation, expensive restaurants and designer goods, alongside expenditure associated with commercial ventures in the hospitality industry.
One such business was connected to Cafe Societe, a café in Kalamaria, a suburb of Thessaloniki.
Corporate records cited in the investigation indicate that Firinidis and Manisioti each held a 47.5% stake in the company, with the remaining 5% owned by a third individual.
The investigation also uncovered substantial betting activity associated with Firinidis.
According to the police document, credits recorded in his betting accounts exceeded €2.6 million, while withdrawals surpassed €2 million. These figures represent financial transaction volumes rather than confirmed gambling profits.
Luxury holidays, private jets and football hospitality suites
The case has drawn attention in Greece because of the contrast between the charity’s public fundraising appeals and the lifestyle displayed by its alleged central figure.
While Children’s Joy sought donations to help seriously ill children and their families, Firinidis regularly posted images of expensive holidays, travel and exclusive experiences.
His social media activity included trips to luxury Greek resorts, visits to European cities and football matches attended from premium hospitality areas.
Investigators are also examining expenditure on private jet travel, high-end hotels and other costly services.
The charity’s public campaigns, meanwhile, featured photographs of children requiring medical treatment, television appeals for donations and messages thanking supporters for their generosity.
Police are now seeking to determine how much of the money raised reached the intended beneficiaries, how much was allegedly diverted and what role each suspect played in the movement of funds.
The financial records, the companies established in 2026 and the couple’s allegedly fictitious divorce form part of an investigation into suspected fraud and money laundering.
The allegations against Firinidis, Manisioti and the other suspects remain subject to judicial examination.
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