Diego Maradona Medical Team on Trial for Manslaughter
The fight over how Diego Maradona spent his final days returned to an Argentine courtroom on Tuesday, as a second trial opened against members of the medical team who cared for him before his death.
In San Isidro, just north of Buenos Aires, seven doctors and carers took their places in the dock, accused by prosecutors of manslaughter in connection with the 1986 World Cup winner’s death in November 2020. All of them deny any wrongdoing.
A long, complex case
The new proceedings come five and a half years after Maradona died of a heart attack at the age of 60 in a private residential complex, only weeks after undergoing brain surgery. Investigators argue that his at-home care in those final days fell far short of what was required, and that serious mistakes contributed to his death.
Facing those accusations are his personal doctor Leopoldo Luque, psychiatrist Agustina Cosachov, a psychologist, another doctor, the medical coordinator of the health insurer, and two carers. A separate trial is under way for another nurse, handled outside this main case.
If convicted, the defendants could receive prison sentences of up to 25 years, a stark measure of how heavily Argentine justice is weighing the responsibility for the loss of its most iconic footballer.
Months of testimony ahead
The court has scheduled two hearing days per week, with the trial expected to stretch over months. Around 90 witnesses are due to be called, an indication of both the complexity of Maradona’s medical history and the intensity of the scrutiny surrounding his final weeks.
The process itself has already had a turbulent life. The case is being heard again after the first trial collapsed in May last year, 21 days into the proceedings. That attempt was declared null and void when one of the three judges on the panel was suspended over her involvement in an unauthorized documentary film about the trial.
Now the spotlight returns to San Isidro, to a courtroom where medicine, law and the legacy of a football legend collide once more, and where Argentina will again be forced to relive the final chapter of Diego Maradona’s life.
