medical practice following the death of Belgian-Israeli billionaire diamond dealer, Ehud Arye Laniado, during a cosmetic penis enlargement procedure at a private clinic in France.
Laniado, 65, the owner of Omega Diamonds, died after suffering a heart attack while undergoing the procedure at the Saint-Honoré-Ponthieu aesthetic clinic in Paris. The clinic is known for catering to wealthy clients, with treatments reportedly costing tens of thousands of euros.
French authorities initially opened a manslaughter investigation into the incident. However, prosecutors later shifted their focus to charges including failure to assist a person in danger, drug-related offences, and practising medicine without a valid licence.
On Wednesday, the Paris court sentenced the lead surgeon, identified as Guy H, to 15 months in prison and permanently revoked his licence to practise medicine.
A second surgeon who was present during the procedure received a 12-month suspended prison sentence and was also permanently barred from medical practice.
In addition to the prison terms, the court ordered the two surgeons to pay fines of €50,000 and €20,000 respectively.
According to French newspaper Le Parisien, investigators raised concerns over the delay in contacting emergency services after Laniado reportedly showed signs of distress. While an initial call for help was said to have been made earlier in the evening, emergency responders were not contacted until nearly two hours later.
The defence maintained that Laniado’s symptoms did not immediately indicate a cardiac emergency and cited his prior medical history in their arguments.
