Giorgos Mazonakis case: millions in European bank account linked to two doctors

Several million euros in a European bank

Reports published on 8 October said investigators had located accounts holding several million euros at a European bank, citing police reporter Vasilis Lampropoulos on the Live News programme. It remains unclear whether the accounts are in the name of the 58-year-old doctor, his 56-year-old wife, or both. The couple ran clinics on Karneadou and Patriarchou Ioakim streets in central Athens, where reportedly high-cost treatments were offered to wealthy clients. Earlier checks of those clinics, their home in the northern suburbs and their Greek bank accounts had not turned up comparable sums. Authorities reportedly estimate the amount may be the largest the pair collected recently from treatments at their clinics.

Who is examining the money

The Anti-Money Laundering Authority is examining the account, and investigators have begun exchanging information with banking authorities abroad. Reports said the choice of a European bank may have been made so that the flow of money would be harder to trace. Investigators are also looking at whether an association linked to a medical council, set up in the past, was used as a vehicle to move money. No findings have been presented on that point. Correspondence with banks is under way to gather data on income, deposits and transactions.

The daughter's testimony

The couple's 19-year-old daughter gave evidence before an investigating judge on 9 October, at her father's request, according to ΣΚΑΪ. She was asked whether she too had undergone plasmapheresis, and she confirmed that she had, saying the treatment was completed in two phases. In her testimony she described the conditions under which Giorgos Mazonakis's condition worsened and said she called EKAB. In her plea, the wife claimed that both she and her daughter had undergone the treatment to demonstrate that the machine was completely safe. The husband reportedly says he had no opinion or knowledge of the treatment and has distanced himself from his wife. Earlier reports said the daughter was expected to testify that the wife administered intoxication to her during the procedure.

Toxicology findings

Preliminary toxicology results on Mazonakis's body found propofol as well as benzodiazepines, ΣΚΑΪ reported. Forensic doctor Dimitris Galenteris explained that benzodiazepines are a family of drugs that act as sedatives, sleep aids and anxiolytics. He said it matters which specific substance from that family was detected, because some of them are taken as pills and could indicate a systematic course of treatment. Galenteris added that benzodiazepines are a common finding in such tests.

We encounter them very often in toxicological tests.

The two doctors remain in pre-trial detention at the Korydallos prisons while the financial and forensic inquiries continue.