In their defence statements, both denied the charges. Among other things, they claimed that the plasmapheresis machines seized by the authorities were entirely legal, had been purchased with invoices and had been declared to the Athens Medical Association. They also attributed part of the responsibility for the course of events to the way in which the singer was transferred from the clinic to the ambulance.
According to information from the proceedings, the doctors’ arguments failed to convince the judicial authorities, and the investigating judge and prosecutor agreed that both should be remanded in custody.
During their defence, the defendants reportedly placed a significant share of the blame on Greece’s National Centre for Emergency Care (EKAB). They claimed that the ambulance crew arrived at the clinic without a stretcher and used a chair to move Giorgos Mazonakis from the first floor to the ambulance. According to their account, cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) was interrupted during the transfer, eliminating any remaining possibility of resuscitating the singer.
The doctors also claimed that the two plasmapheresis machines seized by the authorities were entirely legal. They said they had the relevant purchase invoices and that the machines had been declared to the Athens Medical Association in 2025 and 2026, accompanied by photographs.
Findings from the Hellenic Police Directorate of Criminal Investigations reportedly played a decisive role in the case and in the decision to remand the two doctors.
According to information reported by public broadcaster ERT, a technical report prepared with the assistance of the plasmapheresis device’s representative in Greece reconstructs the incident second by second. The findings, according to the same report, contradict key elements of the defence’s account.
The timeline derived from the machine’s operation is reported to include the following:
14:25: The first distress signal is recorded, as Giorgos Mazonakis displays increased blood pressure and symptoms of thrombosis.
14:43 and 14:45: The doctor takes two photographs and a video of the singer while he is lying on the medical bed with his eyes closed.
15:22–15:27: The device issues a second distress signal and automatically stops the blood transfusion.
15:45: A third distress signal is recorded, with the machine indicating that the patient no longer has a heartbeat.
16:10: The doctor asks her secretary to call emergency services on 166.
This timeline is among the key elements being examined by the investigating authorities in relation to the circumstances surrounding the singer’s collapse.
As part of his defence, the doctor’s husband, who owns the practice, also gave his account of his movements on the day of the incident.
He claimed that he did not leave a restaurant at 14:43 because he had received an emergency call from the clinic, but in order to continue with scheduled appointments.
He also said that he had an appointment with one of his own patients at the clinic at 16:00 and claimed that at 16:06 he issued that patient a referral for medical tests. His account was intended to support his claim that he was not in Giorgos Mazonakis’s treatment room at the time of the singer’s collapse.
Possible administration of a substance and alleged alteration of evidence under investigation
In addition to the defendants’ statements and the analysis of data from the plasmapheresis device, investigators are examining the possibility that Giorgos Mazonakis was given a substance before the treatment began which may have caused an acute medical complication.
Statements from clinic employees and evidence gathered during the police investigation are also being examined. According to reports, investigators are assessing claims that the two doctors initially attempted to resuscitate the patient themselves rather than immediately calling emergency services.
The same reports allege that the doctors cleaned parts of the clinic and attempted to delete critical information. These claims are being examined as part of the investigation into the possible concealment or alteration of evidence.
The results of the lifting of confidentiality on telephone communications are also expected to be significant. Authorities are seeking to establish to whom the photographs and video taken at 14:43 and 14:45 were sent, as well as to identify any calls or messages connected to the handling of the incident.
The investigation is continuing, with the technical report, witness statements, digital evidence and findings of the police investigation being assessed together by the judicial authorities.
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