Police arrested four people during the eviction of an 83-year-old man from his home in the municipality of Nea Propontida, Halkidiki.

The man’s wife, who is the same age, his two daughters aged 54 and 47, and his 34-year-old grandson were taken into custody following a complaint filed by a court bailiff and the property’s new owner, who is believed to have called the police. Charges against the man’s relatives include disturbing the peace, threats, resisting authority, violence against public officials, and violations of data protection laws.

The man at the centre of the case is Theofilos Tzohounidis from Nea Flogita. According to reports, he had just returned home from dialysis treatment to find all his belongings thrown out into the yard, despite a prior court decision that allowed him to remain in the property. He claims that a February court ruling, which postponed a hearing on protective measures, clearly stated he could stay in the house, but instead, he was forced out and the door was padlocked.

His daughter said her father had recently spent 12 days in hospital and requires dialysis three times a week. His wife, visibly distressed, said:

“I can’t walk. I’m going to die. You’ve left us with nothing, have mercy. Heartless people.”

The property was the family’s main residence. It was auctioned off on 14 December last year, after Mr Tzohounidis became a guarantor on a renovation loan taken out by his son, who lived upstairs in the same house.

“My brother took out a loan of €85,000. He repaid around €80,000, but with interest, the remaining balance stood at €57,000. He had been paying it off for a few years, but then ran into financial trouble and couldn’t keep up with the instalments. That €57,000 debt ended up ballooning to €150,000 with additional charges,” Mr Tzohounidis’ daughter explained. “We tried to reach a settlement before December. We offered €6,000, which was what we could afford, but they refused.”

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