Investigation into the death of the famous Greek singer Giorgos Mazonakis developed into private medicine scandal: two doctors were detained, investigators are studying camera footage and operation of the plasmapheresis machineand medical organizations say that such a procedure could not be performed in a regular office.
A day earlier, the Athens News reported in detail, how 54-year-old Giorgos Mazonakis died after visiting a private medical facility in Kolonaki.
Initially, the owner of the office, therapist Ilias Theodoropoulos, and his wife, doctor Ioanna Gaku, were taken to the police to give statements, after which they were released. However, on the evening of September 10, the situation changed.
Doctors were detained after searches
After re-examination of the premises, searches and transfer of materials to the prosecutor, both doctors were detained on suspicion of committing a crime, which the Greek media refers to as “abandonment of danger resulting in death” — θανατηφόρα έκθεση σε κίνδυνο.

The couple is expected to be brought to the courts of the former Evelpidon military school in the morning. Detention does not mean finding them guilty: the final legal qualifications and possible charges will be determined by the prosecutor based on the materials collected.
According to information SKYthe basis for the decision was two circumstances: the results of an examination of the office and information that presumably diverged from the doctor’s initial testimony.
M. Pagoni about I. Gak from “Stem Cell”: “One is a gynecologist, the other is a holistic doctor.”
“What right did he have to perform plasmapheresis on a person who was not feeling well?” pic.twitter.com/emWvKFdme9— Athens News (@russianathens) September 10, 2026
The device continued to work when ΕΚΑΒ arrived
One of the central questions is the moment when exactly Mazonakis became ill: during preparation for the procedure or after it began.
Joanna Gaca, according to a published retelling of her testimony, claimed that the singer lost consciousness while trying to install a second venous catheter.
However MEGA reportsthat the arriving employees of the National Emergency Assistance Center – ΕΚΑΒ – found the plasmapheresis machine turned on and working.
The operation of the device itself does not prove that the procedure caused cardiac arrest. But the investigation will have to establish whether the patient was already connected to the system, what substances were administered to him and why the equipment continued to work after he lost consciousness.
The plasmapheresis machine continued to operate during the arrival of the EAK staff. Report by Live News, MEGA.
Not a clinic, but a therapist’s office
Additional questions arose around the name Stem Cell Clinic itself. The word “clinic” could give visitors the impression that this is a full-fledged medical institution with the necessary personnel and equipment.
But, according to the president of the Athens Medical Union, Giorgos Patoulis, the premises were registered as private therapist’s officein which a therapist and a doctor without officially registered medical specialization worked together.
Patulis said that therapeutic plasmapheresis cannot be performed in such an office. According to him, the machine for this procedure was not listed in the documents submitted to the Athens Medical Union.
Moreover, in 2024–2025, the premises were inspected three times by different commissions. According to Patulis, during these inspections the plasmapheresis machine was not found, which is confirmed by photographs from the inspection materials.
There was no defibrillator found in the office.
According to the inspection data published by MEGA, a defibrillator – equipment necessary for emergency treatment of some dangerous heart rhythm disorders – was also not found in the premises.
Matina Pagoni emphasized that plasmapheresis is a complex extracorporeal procedure and must be performed in a hospital environment by specially trained personnel capable of immediately responding to a drop in pressure, arrhythmia, allergic reaction and other complications.
“Plasmapheresis is performed in hospitals. It’s not done in a regular doctor’s office,” Pagoni said.
Deputy Minister of Health Marios Themistocleous also explained that a doctor does not have the right to independently install any medical equipment in his office. Each new device must be declared and approved, and, according to him, permission to use a plasmapheresis machine in such an office would not have been issued.
Matina Pagoni, Marios Themistokleous and Yorgos Patoulis – about the conditions for plasmapheresis and the results of the room inspection. MEGA.
Who was the doctor officially listed as?
A separate controversy arose around the qualifications of Ioanna Gaki, who, in her own words, suggested Mazonakis undergo the procedure.
In promotional materials and during public appearances, she was presented as an obstetrician-gynecologist, a specialist in “holistic” and “quantum” medicine. However, according to the Athens Medical Union, it is registered as doctor without specialty – ιατρός άνευ ειδικότητας.
MEGA cites fragments of her speech, in which she stated that the “filtering of blood” used allows one to achieve in two days such an improvement in health that would take two years with the classical approach.
These advertising claims are now also being scrutinized, including their medical basis, their relevance to the doctor’s official qualifications, and what procedures were actually offered to clients.
How the doctor who treated Mazonakis introduced herself and what is indicated in the register of the Athens Medical Union. MEGA.
What former clients said
Former visitors told Live News that the facility was popular among wealthy clients and offered “body cleansing” programs, rejuvenation, intravenous treatments and personal medical support.
An Internet publication was also found from a patient with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis who reported that she had undergone two apheresis procedures and then received stem cell therapy.
This patient rated the help she received positively. However, her review does not prove the effectiveness or safety of the treatment and does not answer the question of whether the institution had the right to conduct such procedures.
Publication by a former patient about plasmapheresis and stem cell therapy in the study room. MEGA.
Mazonakis family demands full investigation
The singer’s family announced their intention to seek prosecution of two doctors and any other person whose involvement can be established.
Family representatives have requested a review of telephone connections, medical records, surveillance footage and any drugs that may have been used in Mazonakis’s final hours. An independent technical consultant has also been appointed.
The investigation is also checking information that a few days before his death, the singer had already lost consciousness in a restaurant in Kifissye. If this is confirmed, it will be necessary to find out whether the doctors knew about the previous attack and whether a full examination was carried out before prescribing plasmapheresis.
The cause of death has not yet been established
Despite many alarming circumstances, a causal link between the procedure and Mazonakis’ death has not yet been officially proven.
The answer must be given by an autopsy, toxicological and histological studies, medical documentation, device data and testimonies of EKΚΑΒ employees.
But the case already goes beyond the investigation of one death. Now we are talking about how a regular doctor’s office could advertise as a Stem Cell Clinic, offer complex procedures and see patients without the infrastructure required for a full-fledged medical facility.
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