A major figure in the financial scandal known as the Panama Papers, Panamanian lawyer Ramón Fonseca, has died, the National Bar Association of Panama said on Thursday. His death comes just weeks before a judgement is expected in the trial. Fonseca, co-founder of defunct law firm Mossack Fonseca, died at the age of 71 in a hospital in Panama City, according to local media reports. The public prosecutor’s office called for a 12-year sentence for Fonseca and his former business partner, Jürgen Mossack. The verdict in the money laundering trial is expected by the beginning of June at the latest. T…