Maradona death trial verdict set for December 22

The verdict in the trial over the 2020 death of Argentine football legend Diego Maradona will be delivered on December 22, the court announced Thursday, after six months of hearings.

The trial of seven healthcare professionals accused of negligence in the star’s death concluded Thursday with brief statements from Maradona’s daughter and some of the defendants.

“I hope my father receives the justice he deserves…like anyone else,” said Dalma Maradona, her voice breaking with emotion.

The main defendant in the case, Leopoldo Luque, Maradona’s primary doctor, declared, “I am innocent.”

Maradona died at age 60 from heart failure coupled with pulmonary oedema.

The larger-than-life star, who had a history of substance abuse, was found dead in his bed on November 25, 2020.

He was at his residence in Tigre, north of Buenos Aires, rented for his convalescence following minor neurosurgery.

His death plunged the country into mourning in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic.

– ‘Scapegoat’ –

The trial, which began in April, included testimony from more than 70 witnesses.

Prosecutors requested prison sentences ranging from four to twelve years for six of the seven defendants, with the heaviest sentence — 12 years — sought for Luque.

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In closing arguments on Wednesday, Luque’s defence attorneys rejected the prosecution’s argument that Maradona’s death was foreseeable, calling their client a “scapegoat” in the case.

Throughout the trial, Luque was by far the most combative defendant, speaking several times when he felt he was being implicated.

His legal team played audio recordings, presented scientific articles and even a video of Maradona’s autopsy, provoking the anger of the footballer’s daughters.

“It’s easy to attack me because I’m the one who had the most contact with Maradona,” Luque said in court, asserting that “the only one who would defend me would be Diego.”

“I cared deeply for him, I loved him, he was my idol and my friend,” he said.

The case has revolved around whether the doctors’ decision to allow Maradona to convalesce in a private home, instead of in a hospital, was negligent.

The prosecution pointed to the near-total absence of medical equipment, such as a hospital bed, defibrillator or quickly available ambulance, as evidence of what they presented as the defendants’ dereliction of duty.

Several medical experts testified that Maradona’s caretakers failed to react to key warning signs — he was suffering from oedema, tachycardia and had difficulty breathing — in the lead-up to his death.