Bulgarian tennis official Stefan Milanov has been suspended from working in the sport until December 2039 after 17 breaches of the Tennis Anti-Corruption Program (TACP).
The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) confirmed on their website that Milanov had been found guilty of 17 breaches of the TACP.
The charges are said to be in relation to just five matches he the national-level official umpired in 2021.
The statement added: "Milanov, a national-level official who served a six-month suspension for betting offenses in 2022, did not respond to the ITIA’s charges.
Stefan Milanov (not pictured) has been suspended for 16 years
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"The case was ruled on by independent Anti-Corruption Hearing Officer (AHO) Amani Khalifa, who also issued Milanov a fine of $75,000.
"In failing to respond to the ITIA charges - relating to five matches that they umpired in 2021 – Milanov effectively admitted liability for all charges and acceded to sanctions, as outlined under sections G.1.e.ii and G.1.e.iii of the TACP.
"The charges included five breaches of Section D.1.b of the 2021 TACP – directly or indirectly facilitating any other person to wager on the outcome or any other aspect of an event; five breaches of Section D.1.m of the 2021 TACP – delaying or manipulating entry of scoring data from any Event for any reason; five breaches of Section D.1.n of the 2021 TACP – directly or indirectly attempting, agreeing or conspiring to commit any Corruption Offense; and two breaches of Section F.2.b of the 2023 TACP – failing to co-operate fully with investigations conducted by the ITIA.
"The suspension will run from the date of the decision (28 December 2023) until midnight on 27 December 2039.
"During the suspension, Milanov is prohibited from officiating at or attending any tennis event authorised or sanctioned by the members of the ITIA (ATP, ITF, WTA, Tennis Australia, French Tennis Federation, Wimbledon and USTA) or any national association."
Tennis was also rocked by the biggest illegal betting ring in the sport's history last year when Grigor Sargsyan was arrested as the leader of the syndicate.
Sargsyan was nicknamed the 'Maestro' and convinced players all over the world to fix matches and he made millions in the process.
A swat team arrested the Amenian last year and he was jailed for five years, but there were lifetime bans and a raft of suspensions issued to players who were involved in the ring.
The ITIA have issued a number of bans in recent years
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Prosecutors said: "(The) biggest in size, biggest in money, and biggest in number of matches fixed and number of players involved.
"More than 181 tennis players are involved; more than 375 matches are involved."
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Tennis was rocked by a betting scandal recently
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Sargsyan reportedly targeted players on the Challenger and Futures Tours who were struggling to make a living from professional tennis.
Morocco ace Younes Rachidi was banned for life after being found to have committed 135 match-fixing offences.
"It’s like doubling your money. It feels perfect, and no one knows," Rachidi told the Washington Post. "You think: 'That’s it?' The whole world is rose-colored."
