Maradona death trial verdict set for Dec 22

SAN ISIDRO, Argentina – The verdict in the trial over the 2020 death of Argentine football legend Diego Maradona will be delivered on Dec 22, the court announced on Oct 22, after six months of hearings.

The trial of seven healthcare professionals accused of negligence in the star’s death concluded on Oct 22 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 edema.

He was found dead in his bed on Nov 25, 2020, at a 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.

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.

In closing arguments on Oct 21, Luque’s defence attorneys rejected the prosecution’s argument that Maradona’s death was foreseeable, calling their client a “scapegoat” in the case. AFP