Under an agreement with prosecutors, Sell, 50, pled nolo contendere to conducting the trials, importing prohibited goods, influencing another person to forge a document and using the forged document.

The total fine was 31,285.25 euros. Sell was also ordered to pay procedural costs of close to 500 euros.

Sell's lawyers said Sell did not fight the accusation due to pragmatic reasons.

"Regardless of the evidence gathered in the criminal case, Andres Sell did not wish to undergo an exhausting court procedure under public scrutiny and wishes to focus on his main line of work as a doctor," said Aivar Pilv, Sell's attorney.

Pilv said that due to the plea bargain, in which Sell did not admit guilt, there was no discussion at the hearing on whether Sell's actions were a case of a drug trial, as alleged, or gathering data in the course of everyday medical practice.

According to the accusation, Sell carried out a study of the effects of an anesthetic called 2-chloroprocaine on humans, despite lacking consent from the Agency of Medicines and informed consent from patients.

Kristopher Rikken