The examination of the professor of Toxicology, head of the Toxicology laboratory at the AUTH, Nikolaos Raikou, by the defense attorney of Roulas Pispirigou in the trial before the MOD for the death of her first-born daughter, Georgina, began episodically.

The examination of the witness, which began with a delay as Mr. Kougias was late in coming to the court, as a result of which the bench was withdrawn to wait for him, had an intense charge which in the process escalated in the midst of a verbal attack by the defense counsel towards the witness.

The defendant’s defense began its questions to the witness, who from the examination he conducted ruled that the child received a fatal dose of ketamine, asking him to declare his educational qualifications.

The questions were forbidden by the chairperson and the examination continued with Mr. Kouya asking how many autopsies Mr. Raikos has done:

Witness: Over 300 autopsies, I also have clinical examinations. My group is the only group that does clinical toxicology! I have over 1,000 incidents a year!

Alexis Kougias: In a case I had years ago, the case with the male and the professor in Thessaloniki…

President: What does that have to do with it?

Alexis Kougias: He addressed Mr. Tsatsakis!

Witness: Of course not!

President: You will not answer!

The prohibition of the question brought an appeal by Pispirigou’s lawyer in which Mr. Kougias asked to be allowed to ask it, a request that was finally rejected unanimously with a similar prosecutorial proposal. However, a little while later the advocate returned to the “case with the male” and when the president again prohibited the question the advocate turned against the president:

“You’re biased, you won’t let me ask questions that lead to the witness lying,” he told her. The question, with a similar prosecutorial proposal, was again prohibited by a unanimous decision of the court.

The atmosphere was reignited with Mr. Kuya’s next questions to Mr. Raiko:

Alexis Kougias: On 3/14/22 it was your opinion to Mrs. Salappa (investigator who handled the case), based on which the accused was arrested. Have you published anything about this discovery of yours?

Witness: There is a publication! For this method there is a publication from February 2022!

Alexis Kougias: Shame on you! Shame on you! God will never forgive you! Have you published before the opinion? Shame on you! Be an atheist and sue me! Now sue me!

Tension followed this dialogue, when the accused’s mother started shouting at Mr. Raikou: “Look at him! He’s laughing!” with the president asking her to leave the room and Mr. Kouya asking for an adjournment.

The tension continued after everyone left the courtroom, as the defendant’s attorney yelled in the hallway at the witness “scientific fraudster,” challenging him to sue him.