Legal Proceedings in Palma Involving Fatima Cherkaoui Case
The High Court in Palma handed down verdicts in a case involving negligent manslaughter related to a liposuction procedure. The surgeon received a one-year prison sentence, the anesthetist was given the same term, and both medical professionals were simultaneously barred from practicing for three years. In addition, the court ordered reimbursement and compensation totaling 170,000 euros to be split among the victims and their families, with interest accruing over time.
The ruling aligns with the position of the special prosecutor’s office, which was supported by the Victims of Sanitary Neglect Association (Avinesa) through the legal counsel of Rafael Martín Bueno and the prosecution team. Earlier arguments from the prosecution had called for four years of imprisonment for each defendant, while the local prosecutor sought three years for each doctor on charges of reckless murder. The final sentence includes reductions attributed to procedural delays that the court deemed not essential to the core issues of the case.
Fatima Cherkaoui, age 45, passed away in the early hours of March 6, 2017, after undergoing liposuction at the Center for Surgical Care, located on Calle 31 de Diciembre No. 12 in Palma. During the operation the patient experienced a cardiac arrest and significant blood loss. She was stabilized briefly, transferred to Espas, but succumbed the following day to hypovolemic shock. This sequence of events prompted a review of medical protocols and contributed to the appellate discourse on accountability within cosmetic surgery procedures.