Two plastic surgeons have been handed suspended sentences following the death of Belgian-Israeli billionaire and bodybuilder Ehud Arye Laniado during a cosmetic procedure at a Paris clinic in 2019.
Laniado, 65, collapsed after suffering a heart attack while undergoing penile injections at the Saint-Honoré-Ponthieu clinic on March 2, 2019, Le Parisien reported. He was the founder and owner of diamond firm Omega Diamonds.
The lead surgeon, identified as Guy H., was initially investigated for manslaughter, but prosecutors later downgraded the case to charges including failure to assist a person in danger, drug-related offences and practising medicine without a valid licence.
Investigators found that in the period leading up to his death, Laniado had been consuming banned substances and chemicals commonly used to treat erectile dysfunction, which a judicial source said were believed to have contributed to the fatal heart attack.
Emergency services were first contacted at around 8 pm after Laniado complained of abdominal pain. One of the defendants told the court the call was made at the patient’s request.
Despite this, Laniado, who reportedly visited the clinic several times a year for cosmetic procedures, chose to proceed with the treatment.
About two hours later, emergency responders were called again after he suffered a fatal cardiac arrest.
A judicial source told Le Parisien that the injection itself was quickly ruled out as the direct cause of death, noting that Laniado had a history of ulcers and his symptoms did not initially suggest a cardiac emergency.
The investigation also uncovered regulatory breaches at the clinic, including the fact that the assistant surgeon involved had not been registered with the French Medical Association despite working in France for more than 20 years.
Guy H. was sentenced to 15 months in prison, suspended, and fined Sh7.7 million ($50,000). His assistant, who was filling in for him at the time, received a 12-month suspended sentence and a fine of Sh3.1 million ($20,000). Both doctors are now in their 70s.
“It’s a sober, clear and calming decision,” Guy H.’s lawyer said, adding that the death was “purely accidental”.