Nearly seven years after the death of Israeli-Belgian billionaire diamond dealer Ehud Arye Laniado during a cosmetic penis enlargement procedure in Paris, a French court has handed down a dramatic verdict, finding that serious medical failures contributed to his death.
Two plastic surgeons involved in the procedure were convicted, sentenced to suspended prison terms and permanently banned from practicing plastic surgery, after judges ruled that their professional misconduct played a decisive role in the fatal outcome.
Laniado, 65 at the time of his death, collapsed and suffered cardiac arrest on March 2, 2019, while undergoing a cosmetic procedure at the upscale Saint-Honoré-Ponthieu aesthetic clinic in central Paris. Laniado, founder of Omega Diamonds, reportedly underwent the treatment regularly, between two and four times a year, at a cost of tens of thousands of euros per session, often outside normal clinic hours.
According to court findings, emergency services were first called around 8 p.m. after Laniado complained of abdominal pain. Despite this, he insisted on continuing the procedure. Emergency teams were summoned again about two hours later, after he suffered a fatal heart attack. The lead surgeon attempted resuscitation but failed. An autopsy determined that the cause of death was cardiac hypertrophy, a condition involving thickening of the heart muscle.
Investigators later found substances prohibited in France in Laniado’s hotel room, along with vasodilator medications sometimes used to treat erectile dysfunction.
Early in the investigation, authorities ruled out the injections themselves as the direct cause of death. According to Le Parisien, the central question was why medical staff failed to respond appropriately after the first emergency call, allowing the procedure to continue for another two hours.
The court ultimately ruled that “it was not the injection into the penis that caused the death, but serious medical errors committed by the doctors during treatment.”
The proceedings uncovered extensive irregularities at the clinic. The assisting physician present during the procedure was not registered with the French medical association, despite having worked in France for more than 20 years. Her medical credentials from Algeria were not recognized. According to Germany’s Bild newspaper, the clinic’s director was also operating without valid medical authorization.
The Paris court sentenced the lead surgeon to 15 months in prison, suspended, and fined him 50,000 euros. The assisting physician received a 12-month suspended sentence and a 20,000-euro fine. Both were permanently barred from practicing plastic surgery. The convictions included charges of failure to assist a person in danger, drug offenses and practicing medicine without a license.
Medical experts warn of risks
Dr. Valentin Shabataev, head of the neuro-urology and sexual function unit at Rambam Health Care Campus, emphasized that complaints about penis size require careful medical assessment.
“It is essential to distinguish between aesthetic concerns and functional problems,” he said. “In many cases, patients feel dissatisfied with size in a flaccid state, while erectile function is normal. This is often a psychological issue, not a medical one.”
He added that even when functional problems exist, invasive procedures are not always appropriate, especially in older patients or those with underlying health conditions.
Dr. Meir Cohen, chairman of the Israeli Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons, said that while local complications such as bleeding or infection are generally rare, severe outcomes are usually linked to anesthesia rather than the procedure itself.
“Deaths are extremely uncommon and are typically related to anesthesia risks or dangerous drug interactions,” he said, stressing the importance of thorough medical screening and verifying a doctor’s credentials and experience.
From diamond empire to courtroom scrutiny
Laniado was a towering figure in the global diamond trade, building a vast business empire primarily in Africa. His name was repeatedly linked to allegations of trading in blood diamonds, tax evasion and money laundering. A major Belgian investigation ended in a settlement in 2013, with Laniado paying about 160 million euros.
He was scheduled to stand trial in Belgium on further tax charges just weeks after his death. While the French court ruled that the cosmetic procedure itself did not directly cause his death, it made clear that the medical team bore professional responsibility for the fatal failures that occurred behind the doors of the luxury Paris clinic.