Forest owner facing drug trafficking charges, say reports

The owner of Nottingham Forest has declared his innocence after reports in his native Greece over the weekend said he had been charged with drug trafficking.

Evangelos Marinakis is facing “very serious” charges, said Greek media. The shipping magnate, who also owns Olympiakos, is denying the charges and is reported to have said that he is the “victim of a plot”.

Forest have declined to comment on the reports, which say that Marinakis and three associates have been charged.

Marinakis, who bought Forest in May last year, said in a statement on the Olympiakos website: “The prosecution against me is a product of a plot and it has nothing to do with the truth.

“I have never had anything to do with the acts for which an investigative inquiry is to be conducted, the result of which I am absolutely certain to be the confirmation of my innocence.”

He is also facing trial for match-fixing in Greece, but also denies these charges.