Maradona’s death on trial: Healthcare professionals face manslaughter charges

MEXICO CITY

The trial against seven healthcare professionals accused of contributing to the death of football legend Diego Armando Maradona has begun in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Prosecutors are seeking manslaughter charges with eventual intent, arguing that the doctors responsible for Maradona’s care acted with reckless disregard, killing the football World Cup champion “in cold blood”.

Maradona passed away at age 60 on Nov. 25, 2020. His cause of death was initially attributed to heart failure and acute pulmonary edema, but his family claims his final days were deliberately orchestrated to kill him.

“Diego Armando Maradona was murdered on November 25, 2020,” said Fernando Burlando, lawyer of Maradona’s family, on the first day of the trial, Tuesday, at the San Isidro courthouse in Buenos Aires.

“He was murdered, and for that task, someone who still hides in the shadows assembled a team of healthcare professionals to kill him in a silent yet equally cruel manner,” he said.

Among the eight accused are neurosurgeon Leopoldo Luque and psychiatrist Agustina Cosachov, who allegedly ignored clear signs of Maradona’s deteriorating health. A psychologist, a nurse coordinator, two nurses, and a doctor are also facing trial, while nurse Gisela Dahiana Madrid will be tried separately.

“Negligence, indifference, madness, premeditated and cold-blooded reckless actions were present in this event,” said Burlando.

According to the family’s legal team, an investigation since 2021 uncovered evidence suggesting a plan to end Maradona’s life, beginning on Nov.11, 2020, and culminating in his death on the 25th.

“On that day, Your Excellency, what had been planned as a perfect crime was carried out, overflowing with obscenities, the result of a deliberate will to murder Diego Armando Maradona,” said the lawyer.

Second session in the hearing resumes on Thursday.

• Argentina
• Buenos Aires
• Maradona
• Trial