Medellín, Colombia – The trial of members of the late Argentine soccer legend Diego Maradona’s medical team began in the Buenos Aires suburb of San Isidro on Tuesday. The defendants, charged with “homicide by negligence”, face sentences of eight to 25 years if convicted.
The trial is taking place more than four years after the death of the revered Argentinian attacking midfielder due to a heart attack. He died whilst in recovery following a surgical operation to remove a blood clot in his brain on November 25, 2020.
Seven members of his medical team will stand trial in San Isidro and an eighth member faces a trial by jury in July. All have denied any wrongdoing.
The accused include Maradona’s personal doctor and neurosurgeon, Leopoldo Luque; psychiatrist Agustina Cosachov; addiction specialist Carlos Díaz; medical coordinator Nancy Forlini; nursing coordinator Mariano Perroni; night nurse Ricardo Almirón; clinical physician Pedro Pablo Di Spagna; and nurse Dahiana Gisela Madrid, who will be tried separately.
More than 100 witness testimonies, including some reports from family members, doctors, friends and journalists are due to be presented during the trial which is expected to last for at least four months.
Prosecutors began investigating the circumstances surrounding Maradona’s death in the days that followed, starting with the search of Luque’s house.
The investigation was prompted by Maradona’s family, in particular his daughters Dalma and Gianinna Maradona, who appeared in Court on Tuesday.
In an interview with Radio 10 on Wednesday morning, Mario Baudry, the lawyer representing Maradona’s youngest son Diego Fernando Maradona, explained that there are two ways in which one could kill another person. The first, he said, is by “shooting them directly,” and the second is by “having a sick person, sitting beside their bed, waiting for them to have a heart attack, and then, 20 minutes later, once you’re sure they are dead, calling an ambulance,” Baudry insisted. “They let him die.”
The defendants maintain their innocence, however, with lawyer Vadim Mischanchuk on behalf of Cosachov telling reporters that, “New evidence proves that there is no criminal responsibility for Maradona’s death on the part of any of the accused.”
Fans of the beloved soccer legend gathered outside the court on Tuesday, demanding justice and waving banners and signs in honour of the late athlete.
Going down as perhaps the most famous soccer player in Argentina’s history, Maradona led the national team to a World Cup victory in 1986 over West Germany. He went on to coach the national team from 2008 to 2010, and throughout his life, Maradona was plagued by drug addiction and health issues.
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