Thessaloniki doctor receives suspended sentence for bribe-taking

A doctor at a public hospital in Thessaloniki in northern Greece has been handed a 10-month suspended prison sentence for accepting bribes from patients. The Three-Member Misdemeanor Court of Thessaloniki found him guilty of bribery, with the court recognizing his previously clean record as a mitigating factor.

The case file included four separate bribery allegations, of which the doctor was convicted on two counts and acquitted on the other two. The charges, dating back to 2019, involved payments related to surgeries he performed. The northern Greece internal affairs division of the Hellenic Police (ELAS) led the investigation.

In his defense, the doctor denied the allegations, asserting that any money received was intended to cover privately funded expenses for medications and supplies.