Bill Papas, the former owner of Xanthi FC, has been sentenced to seven years in prison without parole by the Single-Member Misdemeanour Court of Xanthi. This ruling, issued on January 31, 2025, stems from charges related to his failure to pay the professional football team’s employees their wages and legally mandated bonuses, including holiday allowances and gifts for Christmas and Easter.
The sentence follows four separate cases heard at the Xanthi courthouse, in which a total of 20 employees testified against Papas. Among those who gave evidence were former head coach Nikos Kechagias, goalkeeping coach Alekos Maladenis, and longtime club caretaker Hussein Tsitak, who had been with the club since the era of previous owner Christos Panopoulos.
Despite these testimonies, some former staff appeared as defense witnesses, claiming they had been paid properly by Papas. Among them were ex-team manager Kostas Tsalikis, administrative employee Maria Alexopoulou, and club gardener Memet Tsetah. This created a divide among former employees, with some who had been compensated before the club’s bankruptcy not attending the hearing.
Papas was notably absent from the trial, represented instead by an assistant lawyer from Thessaloniki. The lawyer clarified that he only represented Papas in one of the four trials, citing the businessman’s inability to fund legal representation for all cases.
Under Greece’s new Penal Code, the court’s ruling is immediately enforceable, meaning Greek police are obligated to arrest and imprison Papas if he is found within the country. However, it remains unclear if he is still in Greece or has left the country.
This is not the first time Papas has faced legal action for unpaid wages. He was previously sentenced to nine months in prison for similar charges, but this latest ruling carries a much heavier penalty.
Papas’ legal troubles extend beyond Greece. He has been convicted in Australia for a massive fraud case involving Australian banks, although the case remains at the civil level for now. The Greek Anti-Money Laundering Authority has frozen all of his assets in Greece, including his shares in the now-liquidated Xanthi FC, due to the Australian case.
Papas is expected to file an appeal, but under Greek law, an appeal will not delay the execution of his sentence. If located, he will be immediately incarcerated, regardless of the appeal.
