The Oral Criminal and Correctional Court No. 28 ordered the detention of doctor Aníbal Lotocki on Tuesday as part of the case in which he was sentenced to eight years in prison. The case involves victims Silvina Luna, Stefanía Xipolitakis, Pamela Sosa, and Gabriela Trenchi, and accuses him of fraud and causing serious injuries.
The measure was taken at the request of the Attorney General Sandro Abraldes, who intervened during the trial. Judge Jorge Romeo justified the decision by stating that if the professional regained his freedom, he could evade justice in light of the prospect of serving a significant prison sentence.
Lotocki is currently in preventive detention in another case, where he is being tried for the homicide of a patient that occurred in April 2021. Attorney Abraldes emphasized that his presumption of innocence is severely weakened and that the expectation of punishment is no longer a hypothesis, but an imminent and quantified certainty.
In February 2022, the doctor received an initial sentence of four years. The then-member of the court Carlos Rengel Mirat considered it proven that Lotocki performed surgical interventions on the four patients and placed a filler product containing polymethylmethacrylate microspheres in inappropriate areas and amounts.
The increase in the sentence and the risk of flight
This substance caused granulomas and injuries. The criminal reproach focused on the fact that the professional intentionally concealed information that he was obligated to provide about the possible effects and the more serious consequences that could arise.
Following the appeals filed by the prosecution and the plaintiffs, Chamber III of the Court of Cassation raised the sentence from four to eight years by incorporating the crime of fraud. It also increased the disqualification period for practicing medicine from five to ten years.
