Significant findings are contained in the case file surrounding the death of renowned singer Giorgos Mazonakis, emerging from witness testimonies and evidence collected during investigations by police and the Athens Medical Association at the fateful clinic on 11 Karneadou Street.
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Mazonakis death: Illegal clinic, “serious indications” of 42-minute plasmapheresis session, and a broken defibrillator
According to the report issued by the Athens Medical Association (AMA) inspection team dated September 10, 2026, the clinic was operating in violation of the conditions set out in Presidential Decree 84/2001 — enacted under the law governing private primary healthcare providers and health services — and the inspection committee recommended that the AMA impose sanctions against both doctors.
According to the police transmittal document, during the investigation at the co-located private clinic at 11 Karneadou Street in Athens, following an on-site inspection, the three-member Athens Medical Association committee identified, among other things:
- In two examination rooms registered under the accused physician’s name, plasmapheresis machines (“inuspheresis”) were found, which she stated had been installed — one in 2021 and the second in 2026. These rooms also contained vital signs monitoring equipment and saline solution supplies. The committee noted, as documented through photographs, that no plasmapheresis machines had been installed at the premises in 2025.
- The accused stated to the committee that she was the treating physician of Giorgos Mazonakis, who had been connected to the more recently acquired machine for treatment. The machine’s history was thoroughly examined, revealing that a 42-minute operating session had been recorded for this specific patient. The committee then requested that the accused, Ioanna GAKA, demonstrate the machine’s operation so that the committee could observe how it functioned and document the relevant findings. During the demonstration, the machine recorded zero operating time, despite all preparation steps, session initiation, and patient disconnection procedures being carried out in full. Therefore, there are serious indications that Giorgos Mazonakis had undergone a plasmapheresis session lasting 42 minutes, given that the corresponding entry existed in the machine’s history.
Regarding the older plasmapheresis machine, the report noted that the AMA had received a declaration stating it had been removed “following recommendations made after a previous on-site AMA inspection.”
Also notable is the fact that the patient medical files of individuals who had undergone plasmapheresis at the clinic contained no prior cardiological assessment or electrocardiogram, despite the invasive nature of the plasmapheresis treatments being performed — a clear violation of applicable legislation.
Based on the findings of the on-site inspection, the AMA’s Inspection Committee recommended the following, as reflected in the case file:
- For the accused female doctor: the permanent closure of the unspecialized private clinic and the imposition of a fine amounting to seventy-three thousand, three hundred and sixty-seven euros and fifty-seven cents (€73,367.57); and
- For her accused husband: a disciplinary review, a six-month suspension of the operating license of his private internal medicine clinic, and the imposition of a fine of fourteen thousand, six hundred and seventy-three euros and fifty-one cents (€14,673.51), due to the possession of equipment not permitted in an internal medicine practice — specifically, high-technology centrifugation machinery.
Revealing witness testimonies
Key evidence also emerged from witness statements — particularly that of a paramedic from EKAB (National Emergency Medical Service), who testified that they received a dispatch signal to attend 11 Karneadou Street, at the clinic of Dr. Theodoropoulos, due to a 55-year-old man having suffered cardiac arrest. They arrived on the scene at 16:26. Upon entering the room, the internist was performing CPR, while Giorgos Mazonakis was lying on his back on a medical bed. The paramedics continued CPR and attached a defibrillator, which indicated asystole — meaning the heart rhythm was non-shockable. They were informed that the doctor had been performing CPR for approximately ten minutes before their arrival, and that one milligram of adrenaline had been administered, though it was not clarified whether this had occurred before or during the cardiac arrest.
Once the second cycle of the resuscitation protocol was completed, the internist administered an injectable substance in front of the paramedics, stating it was adrenaline. The patient continued to present with cardiac asystole, and a third cycle of the protocol was initiated. After the third cycle was completed, the patient remained in asystole, and at 16:49, transfer to “ELPIS” hospital began. The internist informed the paramedics that the clinic did have a defibrillator on the premises, but that it was not working, while he expressed no wish to accompany them to the on-call hospital.
Testimonies from physicians and clinic staff
The preliminary testimonies given by the accused physicians contain contradictions. The internist stated that he did not know the singer personally and that Mazonakis was a patient of his wife. The accused claims he was called in when Giorgos Mazonakis collapsed. His wife, on the other hand, stated that Giorgos Mazonakis arrived at her clinic at 16:00, and that she began preparation procedures, during which he mentioned he had not slept well, was feeling restless, had the same cough as the previous day, and was speaking with slightly worse articulation — though he did not report any specific health problem.
The female doctor claims she attached ECG electrodes and an oxygen monitor, and that his temperature and blood pressure were all within normal range. She further stated that she inserted an intravenous catheter into his left arm, at which point he suffered cardiac arrest. She then stopped the intravenous procedure and called for her husband’s assistance, initiating CPR. She stated that they administered adrenaline and attempted defibrillation, to which the patient did not respond.
Testimonies were also provided by the clinic’s nurses and the receptionist. Of particular interest is the fact that different arrival times for the singer have been reported across these accounts. In all cases, the witnesses testified that the room was cleaned by clinic staff immediately after the incident, and that the accused doctors did not accompany the deceased to the hospital in order to provide the treating physicians there with information about his medical condition and the events that had taken place.
