New trial in Maradona death case opens in Argentina

Buenos Aires: A fresh trial over the death of Argentine football icon Diego Maradona is set to begin on Tuesday, with seven members of his medical team facing negligent homicide charges nearly a year after the earlier proceedings ended in a mistrial.

Maradona, one of Argentina’s most enduring public figures, died on November 25, 2020, at the age of 60 after suffering a heart attack while recovering from brain surgery to remove a blood clot. His image remains deeply embedded in Argentine public life, including through murals and tattoos.

The retrial will be heard by a court in San Isidro, near Buenos Aires, which is expected to hear testimony from just under 100 witnesses as it examines allegations of negligence linked to the death of the 1986 World Cup winner.

Those on trial are psychiatrist Agustina Cosachov, neurosurgeon Leopoldo Luque, psychologist Carlos Angel Diaz, physician Nancy Edith Forlini, nurse Ricardo Almiron, head nurse Mariano Ariel Perroni, and physician Pedro Pablo Di Spagna. Their legal teams have denied any wrongdoing.

An eighth accused, nurse Dahiana Madrid, will face a separate jury trial. No date has yet been announced for those proceedings.

Previous trial ended in mistrial

The first trial began in March last year but was halted two months later after a mistrial was declared. The case collapsed when one of the three judges, Julieta Makintach, stepped down after a video emerged showing her being interviewed by a camera crew in courthouse corridors and in her office for a documentary, in violation of judicial rules.

The new proceedings will require prosecutors and defence lawyers to revisit their legal strategies after the first trial already brought forward photographs, videos, audio recordings and forensic material.

Several witnesses, including Maradona’s children and his former wife Claudia Villafane, have already given testimony in the earlier proceedings.

Arguments from both sides

During the initial trial, prosecutors said the medical professionals failed to follow treatment protocols and argued that the house where Maradona was recovering after surgery had become a “theatre of horror”, where the care he needed was not provided.

The defence argued that Maradona’s death could not have been avoided because of his long history of health complications. The former football star had struggled for decades with cocaine and alcohol addiction.

The charges were brought in 2021 after prosecutors appointed a medical board to examine the circumstances surrounding his death. That panel concluded that Maradona’s medical team had acted in an “inappropriate, deficient and reckless way”.

If convicted, the defendants could receive prison terms ranging from eight to 25 years.