Doctors transferred to Korydallos prison over death of Greek singer Giorgos Mazonakis

Transfer to Korydallos prison

On the morning of 17 September 2026, Greek authorities transferred two doctors to Korydallos prison following their pretrial detention order over the death of singer Giorgos Mazonakis. Ioanna Gaka, aged 56, departed the Athens Security Sub-Directorate shortly after 06:30 and arrived at the Korydallos women's facility before 07:00. Her husband, 58-year-old clinic owner Ilias Theodoropoulos, was transported from the Athens Police Headquarters (GADA) and reached Korydallos shortly after 07:20. The transfers followed an 18-hour deposition session that concluded in the early hours of Wednesday, leading the examining magistrate and prosecutor to order their formal detention. Prison commitment orders were finalized on Wednesday afternoon, setting the transfers in motion once the correctional facilities opened for morning intake. Gaka was assigned to a cell previously held by Eirini Mourtzoukou, who is being relocated to the correctional facility in Thebes.

Upgraded homicide charges

Judicial authorities upgraded the charges against both physicians from fatal exposure to intentional homicide with contingent intent committed by omission. Prosecutors determined that the pair contributed to Mazonakis's death through both specific actions and omissions during a plasmapheresis treatment at their Kolonaki clinic. Investigators also cited subsequent actions by the defendants that allegedly impeded the inquiry into the circumstances of the singer's death. The escalation in charges followed a second forensic report submitted by the Hellenic Police Forensic Science Division (DEE). The report provided a minute-by-minute log of the plasmapheresis equipment, identifying that the first automated alert sounded approximately 50 minutes before the clinic placed an emergency call to the EKAV ambulance service.

Disputed alibi and clinic timeline

During his marathon deposition, Theodoropoulos presented an electronic referral timestamped at 16:05:57 as an alibi to establish his whereabouts during the medical emergency. The document recorded an examination and test prescription for another patient presenting with abdominal pain at the Karneadou Street clinic. Theodoropoulos stated that he arrived at the premises at 16:00 and was examining that patient when Mazonakis experienced cardiac arrest. According to the physician's testimony, staff alerted him to the cardiac arrest at 16:15, at which point he rushed to assist. The patient was submitted as a defense witness and has testified before the magistrate, though judicial authorities are reviewing the timeline because forensic evidence indicates Mazonakis went into cardiac arrest earlier.

Defense appeal and hunger strike

The law firm Nikos Agapinos and Partners announced that it is filing an appeal against the pretrial detention order on behalf of Theodoropoulos and Gaka, arguing that the decision represents a severe violation of procedural rights. Both doctors have denied all charges, maintaining that they provided appropriate care during the incident. Following the detention ruling, Theodoropoulos began a hunger strike while held at police headquarters.

I do not want you to bring me food, I am starting a strike.

Theodoropoulos refused meals on Wednesday afternoon and stated an intention to escalate the protest to include fluids. Family members visited the couple while they were held in separate holding cells ahead of their prison transfer. Defense attorneys intend to challenge the detention warrants before the judicial council in the coming days.