A Greek basketball referee who officiated at the highest level of European competition has been jailed pending trial.
It was the first detention in a bribery scandal that has reached the top of the sport's national federation.
Petros Papapetrou, who until recently refereed games in Greece's Basket League and the Euroleague, was held after hours of testimony before an investigating magistrate.
Police had found 820,000 euros ($950,000) in cash at his home.
Mr. Papapetrou said the money was legitimate.
He gave the magistrate documents that he said showed 1.5 million euros in earnings over 25 years from refereeing, his job and family sources.
He said his living costs were low because he owns his home in northern Greece, and that he preferred to keep cash rather than deposit it in a bank.
He denied four bribery allegations, calling the witnesses unreliable and saying he had been elsewhere on two of the occasions.
Five others arrested Wednesday are due before the magistrate in the coming days.
They include Vangelis Liolios, the president of the Hellenic Basketball Federation, who is scheduled to appear on Sunday.
Investigators are examining about 50 games played between 2016 and 2026. Most were youth and school tournaments, where success can help students win university places.
All the suspects are presumed innocent.