Patients with cardiac problems or their relatives sat on the bench of the Second Three-member Criminal Court Thessalonikibecause they gave a “bag” of up to 5000 euros or other “gifts” to a university doctor, in the vast majority of cases at his request, in view of angioplasty surgeries (“balloon”), in order to expedite the surgery through the AHEPA hospital, bypassing the relevant waiting lists, or after the completion of these operations to thank him for prioritizing them.

It is a total of 17 people from regions of Northern Greece up to Thessalyaddressed to the physician, during the period from 2018 to 2020 (in the midst of the Covid 19 pandemic). With an exculpatory prosecutor’s proposal, they were all found not guilty of the crime of bribing an official.

For the same case, which began to be investigated in November 2020 by the Internal Affairs Service of the Hellenic Republic, following a complaint by a patient’s relative, the university doctor was also charged, but the case against him was separated and referred to be tried in Three-member Misdemeanor Court of Thessaloniki for bribery, by extension and by profession. According to information, he was put on leave from his university duties when the criminal investigation began, with the “corrupt” members of EL.AS. to “dust off” all the surgeries he performed.

“There was a risk of life” said the prosecutor in her speech for the patients and relatives who were accused, emphasizing that these were people who lived through the agony and fear of death, passed through intensive care beds, waited in the midst of “covid” to get a date for their surgery. “They found themselves in a situation of need and for this reason the criminal penalty for their act must be removed” said the public prosecutor referring to most of the defendants, while for the rest who – as they confessed – paid the money for “reasons of gratitude” to the doctor she suggested to be discharged, due to a forgivable error of law.