Maradona Death Trial Verdict Set for December 22 After Six Months of Hearings

The central question in the case over Diego Maradona’s death is whether his recovery at home after brain surgery was managed with adequate medical care. Judges will deliver their verdict at noon on December 22, concluding a trial that began in April and ran for 51 hearings.

Seven healthcare professionals were accused of negligence in the death of the Argentine football icon, who was 60. On Thursday, the court heard final statements from Maradona’s daughter Dalma and several defendants. Presiding judge Alberto Gaig became emotional as he announced the date.

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

Care at home under scrutiny

Maradona died on November 25, 2020, from cardiorespiratory arrest and pulmonary oedema while recovering from neurosurgery at a rented home in Tigre, north of Buenos Aires. He was receiving medical care at the residence.

Prosecutors argue that the care arrangements failed to meet his needs. They cited the lack of basic equipment, including a hospital bed and defibrillator, and the absence of an ambulance on standby. Medical experts told the court that those responsible for his treatment failed to respond adequately to warning signs in the days before his death, including oedema, tachycardia and breathing difficulties.

The defendants face charges of homicide with dolo eventual, a category that applies when a person is alleged to have recognized that their actions or omissions could lead to death. Prosecutors requested prison terms of four to 12 years for six defendants.

Leopoldo Luque, Maradona’s personal doctor in the final years of his life, faces the longest requested sentence: 12 years. Prosecutors sought 10 years for medical coordinator Nancy Forlini and eight for psychiatrist Agustina Cosachov. They requested the acquittal of clinical physician Pedro Di Spagna. With no party continuing to accuse him, Gaig declared Di Spagna acquitted on Thursday.

Defendants challenge the prosecution’s case

Luque reiterated his innocence in court and said Maradona’s death continued to hurt him. His lawyers argued that the death was sudden and unforeseeable, and that Luque did not direct the day-to-day care provided at the home. In closing arguments, they called him a “scapegoat.”

Luque was the most outspoken defendant during the hearings, at times addressing the court when he felt implicated. His legal team presented audio recordings and scientific papers, as well as a video of Maradona’s autopsy, drawing anger from the footballer’s daughters.

“It’s easy to attack me because I’m the one who had the most contact with Maradona,” Luque said. “The only one who would defend me would be Diego.” He also described Maradona as his idol and friend, saying, “I cared deeply for him, I loved him.”

Cosachov’s defence said a private healthcare company had withheld information about Maradona’s condition, including episodes of tachycardia and high blood pressure. Her lawyer, Vadim Mischanchuk, argued that she responded to warning signs as they emerged rather than ignoring them.

Forlini was accused of failing to ensure medical equipment was available at the residence. Her lawyers said her role was to provide services and equipment requested by the treating doctors, Luque and Cosachov, and that they had not made those requests.

Nursing staff contest alleged failures

Nursing coordinator Mariano Perroni and nurse Ricardo Almirón also sought acquittals in closing arguments. Prosecutors accused Perroni of failing to give nursing staff medical summaries and to supervise those on duty. His lawyer, Martín Montalto, said Perroni had committed no breach of duty that contributed to Maradona’s death.

Almirón faced accusations that he failed to take Maradona’s vital signs correctly. His lawyer, Franco Chiarelli, said Almirón completed most of the 23 reports recorded during the home-care period.

The verdict will determine how the court weighs those competing accounts: whether the home-care team’s decisions and omissions exposed Maradona to a foreseeable risk, or whether his death resulted from an unpredictable cardiac event. Maradona’s death prompted mass public mourning in Argentina during the Covid-19 pandemic, with large crowds gathering at the Casa Rosada presidential palace despite social distancing rules.