The case centers on a liposuction procedure that ended tragically for Fatima Cherkaoui at a Palma clinic. Witnesses describe the moment the patient arrived unstable, with ongoing bleeding that investigators labeled arterial in nature. The incident, which prompted a formal criminal inquiry, has put the attending surgeon and the anesthesiologist under scrutiny as potential contributors to Cherkaoui’s death.
In the first hearing before the Third Provincial Criminal Court, both medical professionals who participated in the procedure testified. Each defendant defended their medical choices and denied that their conduct caused the death. Prosecutors have requested three years of imprisonment for each doctor for negligent manslaughter and have sought a combined 240,000 euros in compensation for Cherkaoui’s children. The private prosecution, brought by the Association of Victims of Medical Neglect, is pursuing four years in prison for each accused on similar grounds, along with half a million euros in compensation to the children.
Normal procedure
The physician who treated Fátima Cherkaoui answered questions only posed by her lawyer, Jaime Campaner. In a concise statement, the doctor asserted that she held a master’s degree and additional training that qualified her to perform liposuction, the operation carried out for Cherkaoui. She emphasized that the technique had remained unchanged for fifteen years and maintained that she followed a standard protocol, consistent with what is performed in many similar cases.
The anesthesiologist present testified that no abnormal findings were observed prior to the final stages of the procedure. He stated that Cherkaoui experienced a heart attack during the operation, which they attempted to treat, and he claimed that the patient eventually stabilized. The prosecutor’s indictment contends that the medical team’s conduct during the liposuction was marked by careless behavior and a lack of essential care, actions described as negligent.
The case has drawn attention to the standards and expectations for cosmetic procedures, the training of practitioners, and how medical decisions in the operating room are evaluated in the wake of adverse outcomes. Experts and observers note that many liposuction-related cases hinge on the timely recognition of complications, the adequacy of monitoring during and after surgery, and the speed and precision of intervention when problems arise. References to routine practice reflect the belief that the procedure should align with established safety protocols and peer-accepted guidelines.
As the proceedings advance, legal analysts point out that the outcome will depend on whether the court views the events as a sequence of unavoidable risks inherent to cosmetic surgery or as preventable errors that violated the expected standard of care. The rights of Cherkaoui’s family, the responsibilities of the medical team, and the broader implications for clinics offering elective procedures are likely to be central themes in subsequent parts of the trial. The case continues to unfold in Palma, with the courtroom becoming a focal point for discussions about patient safety and professional accountability in aesthetic medicine. [Attribution: court records and press reports on the 2017 proceedings]