Seven medical professionals are facing calls for prison sentences of up to 12 years in connection with the trial regarding the death of Argentine football icon Diego Maradona. Prosecutors argued on Thursday that the medical team treating Maradona at the time of his death exhibited a "chaotic" approach to his care. The trial has been ongoing since April, following Maradona's death on November 25, 2020, while he was recovering from surgery for a brain clot.
Maradona, who was 60 years old at the time of his death, died from heart failure and acute pulmonary edema at a rented home in Tigre, a suburb of Buenos Aires, two weeks after the surgery. His medical team, which includes his chief doctor, psychiatrist, psychologist, and nurses, is accused of providing grossly inadequate care leading up to his death, a charge they deny.
In his closing arguments, prosecutor Patricio Ferrai stated that the defendants’ "chaotic organisation" left Maradona "in a helpless situation, abandoning him to his fate." He claimed that the medical professionals breached their duties and failed to perform necessary actions. The defendants are charged with "dolo eventual," indicating that they were aware their actions could cause harm but continued nonetheless.
The prosecutor is seeking the maximum sentence of 12 years for Maradona’s personal physician, Leopoldo Luque, while other sentences ranging from four to 10 years are sought for additional medical staff, including a psychiatrist and a nurse. The health workers contend that Maradona’s death was unforeseeable and assert that they fulfilled their responsibilities.
The case centers on whether the decision to allow Maradona to recover at home instead of in a hospital constituted negligence. The prosecution has highlighted the lack of essential medical equipment, such as a hospital bed and defibrillator, as evidence of the defendants’ alleged dereliction of duty. Medical experts testified that the care team failed to respond to critical warning signs, including edema and difficulty breathing, prior to Maradona's death.
Assistant prosecutor Cosme Iribarren remarked that Maradona’s death did not occur suddenly, as warning signs had been evident for some time. The prosecution presented images of Maradona deceased in bed, prompting his three daughters, who were present in court, to cover their faces. The summation of the trial is expected to last around two weeks, with a verdict to follow at a later date. This trial follows the annulment of an earlier trial over Maradona’s death, which was halted after revelations that a judge had participated in a clandestine documentary about the case.