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The courtroom drama surrounding the death of legendary footballer Diego Maradona took a significant turn on Tuesday as the trial of seven accused health care professionals resumed. This comes nearly a year after the initial proceedings were halted when the judge presiding over the case withdrew after appearing in a documentary regarding the situation.
At the heart of this high-profile trial are allegations of negligence against seven medical professionals, who are charged with failing to deliver adequate medical care to Maradona in the critical weeks leading up to his death. The incident occurred five years ago at Maradona’s residence near Buenos Aires.
Maradona, whose prowess on the football field earned him a place among the sport’s all-time greats, passed away at the age of 60. His death was attributed to cardiac arrest, occurring while he was in recovery from a surgical procedure aimed at addressing a blood clot on his brain.
The prosecution charges these seven individuals with culpable homicide, akin to involuntary manslaughter, suggesting a recognition of the risk posed by their alleged recklessness, yet a failure to avert it. Should they be found guilty, they could face prison terms ranging from eight to 25 years.
Meanwhile, the defense stands firm in their argument, asserting that Maradona, who famously led Argentina to victory in the 1986 World Cup, was afflicted with numerous serious health issues, contending that no criminal act occurred in his care.
Maradona had suffered a series of medical problems, some because of an excess of drug and alcohol consumption. He was reportedly near death in 2000 and 2004.
Among those on trial are physician Leopoldo Luque, Maradona’s personal doctor during the final years of his life, psychiatrist Agustina Cosachov and psychologist Carlos DÃaz.
Hearings will take place twice a week, on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Slightly less than 100 witnesses are expected to testify, including family members, people close to the former player, medical professionals and police officers.
Judges Alberto Gaig, Alberto Ortolani and Pablo Rolón are expected to deliver a verdict in early June.
Fernando Burlando, attorney for Maradona’s two eldest daughters and plaintiffs in the case, Dalma and Giannina, told reporters before Tuesday’s hearing that he had confidence in the new panel.
“We place enormous trust in them,” Burlando said. “They are judges with extensive experience and backgrounds”.
He said that Maradona’s daughters remain “very exhausted”.
“It is very difficult,” Burlando said. “They are Maradona’s daughters, and that alone is not easy, and the fact that they cannot even have a moment of relief to know what happened to their father … although we are convinced of what happened”.
The initial trial ended in a mistrial last May after Julieta Makintach, one of the three judges overseeing the proceedings, stepped down following criticism over her participation in a documentary about the case.
Makintach withdrew after prosecutors presented footage showing her featured prominently in the documentary Divine Justice, which covered events from the aftermath of Maradona’s death, when allegations and suspicions of foul play first emerged, through the start of the trial.
“I present my resignation with serenity, without renouncing the right to exercise my defence in the appropriate arenas,” Makintach wrote in a letter sent to judicial authorities in June.
Maradona died on November 25, 2020, weeks after undergoing surgery for a subdural hematoma.
He had been admitted earlier that month to a clinic in La Plata, suffering from anemia and dehydration, before being transferred to ClÃnica Olivos, where he underwent the procedure.
After being discharged on November 11, he moved to a home outside Buenos Aires, where he remained under medical supervision.
A 20-member medical panel appointed to investigate Maradona’s death released a report in 2021, where they accused Maradona’s medical team of acting in an “inappropriate, deficient and reckless manner,” leaving him in agony and without help for more than 12 hours before his death.
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