Seven members of the medical team that treated Diego Maradona before his death will go on trial for homicide today in Buenos Aires.
Maradona, widely regarded as one of football’s greatest players, died of a heart attack at his home in the Argentinian capital in November 2020.
He had been recovering from surgery to remove a blood clot on his brain. Prosecutors allege that medical negligence played a role in his death.
Maradona had battled obesity, alcoholism, and drug addiction for decades. However, prosecutors argue that his death was preventable and that his doctors failed in their duty of care.
Who is on trial?
Seven of the eight people charged – including Maradona’s brain surgeon, psychiatrist, and several nurses – are now facing trial for culpable homicide, a charge similar to involuntary manslaughter.
If convicted, they could face up to 25 years in prison.
Among those on trial are:
- Leopoldo Luque, Maradona’s personal doctor and brain surgeon
- Agustina Cosachov, his psychiatrist
- Carlos Diaz, an addiction specialist overseeing his alcohol dependency treatment
- Nancy Forlini, a doctor responsible for managing his home care
- Mariano Perroni, a nursing coordinator
- Ricardo Almirón, a nurse who cared for Maradona
- Pedro Pablo Di Spagna, a clinical physician
An eighth defendant, nurse Gisela Dahiana Madrid, has requested a separate jury trial at a later date.
The trial follows an investigation by a medical board, which found evidence suggesting that Maradona’s medical team acted in an “inappropriate, deficient, and reckless manner.”
A report published in 2021 questioned why Maradona was discharged from the hospital so soon after his surgery, stating:
“The home confinement did not comply with norms and protocols.”
The panel also criticised the medical team for failing to properly monitor Maradona and overlooking signs of potential heart failure.
Investigators found that in the two weeks leading up to his death, he had not undergone any heart or lab tests.
What happens next?
The trial, held in the Buenos Aires suburb of San Isidro, will feature more than 120,000 messages and audio recordings from private conversations among Maradona’s caregivers.
The defence argues that Maradona’s death was “sudden and without agony.” They have commissioned their own forensic study to counter the prosecution’s claims.
With at least three hearings scheduled per week, the trial is expected to last until July.
