Reports from Greek media outlets suggest that former Xanthi FC owner, Bill Papas (Vasilis Papadimitriou), has been sentenced to seven years in prison without parole by the Single-Member Misdemeanour Court of Xanthi. The ruling, issued on Friday, 31 January, was based on charges that, as the club’s owner, he failed to pay employees of the professional football team their wages and legally mandated bonuses, including Christmas and Easter gifts and holiday allowances.
This case marks the first major criminal trial against Papas in a Greek criminal court since he acquired Xanthi FC in 2020. The sentencing resulted from four separate cases heard at the Xanthi courthouse, involving a total of 20 different employees.
The trial saw several former employees testify, including head coach Nikos Kechagias, goalkeeping coach Alekos Maladenis, and longtime club caretaker Hussein Tsitak, who had been with Xanthi FC since the era of former owner Christos Panopoulos.
Despite these testimonies, some former administrative staff members appeared as witnesses for the defence, claiming they had been properly paid by Papas. Among them were ex-team manager Kostas Tsalikis, administrative employee Maria Alexopoulou, and club gardener Memet Tsetah. This reportedly left a negative impression on many of the unpaid employees in attendance. Other former workers who had been compensated before the club’s bankruptcy allegedly avoided attending the hearing altogether.
Papas did not appear in court
Papas did not appear in court for the trial and was instead represented by an assistant lawyer from Thessaloniki. Notably, this lawyer stated that he was only representing Papas in one of the four cases, citing that the businessman did not have the financial means to secure legal representation for all four trials.
Imprisoned if found
Under Greece’s new Penal Code, the ruling is immediately enforceable, meaning Greek police are required to arrest and imprison Papas if they locate him within the country. However, there is no confirmation of his current whereabouts, and it remains uncertain whether he is still in Greece or has left the country.
This is not the first time Papas has been sentenced for unpaid wages at Xanthi FC. Last year, he was sentenced to nine months in prison on similar charges, but this time, the ruling carries a much heavier sentence with no possibility of suspension.
Ongoing legal issues in Greece and Australia
Beyond his troubles in Greece, Papas has been convicted in an Australian civil court for a massive fraud case involving hundreds of millions of dollars against Australian banks. However, this ruling remains at the civil level rather than criminal—though potential criminal proceedings could follow.
Due to the Australian case, the Greek Anti-Money Laundering Authority has frozen all of his assets in Greece for nearly three years, including his shares in the now-liquidated Xanthi FC.
While Papas is expected to file an appeal, Greek law dictates that any appeal will not suspend the execution of his sentence. This means that if found, he will be taken to prison immediately, regardless of the appeal process.
