Doctors detained after death of Greek singer Jorgos Mazonakis

After a marathon hearing lasting more than 16 hours, a judge ordered pretrial detention for the two physicians who were running the private clinic where Greek singer Jorgos Mazonakis died. The married couple deny the accusations but prosecutors have changed the charge to murder with possible intent.

Investigation points to delays and ignored alarms

Mazonakis suffered a cardiac arrest last Wednesday during a plasma exchange procedure in the doctors' office, which was registered as a routine internal medicine practice but reportedly carried out stem‑cell therapies and plasma separation without proper authorization. Police investigators identified multiple failings in the clinic’s operation and in the handling of the emergency.

According to the inquiry, the singer died less than an hour before emergency services were notified. The two physicians attempted to resuscitate the 54‑year‑old without having appropriate equipment or calling for immediate transfer to a hospital, investigators say.

The specific device used for the plasma procedure (therapeutic plasma exchange) recorded the entire session, issued three audible warnings about possible problems and also signalled the moment the patient’s heart stopped — alarms the attending doctor allegedly ignored.

Haralambos Likoudis, the singer’s lawyer, told public broadcaster ERT: "If the ambulance had been called in time, the singer might have been saved."

During the hearing, which began around 14:00 the previous day and ended in the early hours, the couple rejected the accusations. They insisted the plasma machines were legal and authorised, denied any intent to cause death and shifted responsibility to emergency crews for the way Mazonakis was transported to hospital. The woman who performed the exchange spent about eight hours giving testimony, saying she could not predict the outcome and that following the protocol did not necessarily mean the audible alarms indicated an imminent cardiac arrest; she suggested the beeps could be linked to venous access issues. The husband, who owns the clinic, said he had been in an adjacent room treating another patient.

Both physicians were transferred this morning to Koridallos prison in western Athens. Mazonakis, one of Greece’s best‑known singers, had a career spanning more than three decades with over ten albums and thousands of live performances. He was 54 and had been scheduled to perform a concert in Athens on 20 September marking his 33rd year in music.

Photo: Fejsbuk/ Giorgos Mazonakis