BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) 鈥� The trial of seven health care professionals in the resumed on Tuesday, nearly a year after the original proceedings collapsed when a presiding judge stepped down after appearing in a documentary about the case.
The negligence case centers on seven medical professionals accused of failing to provide adequate care in the weeks leading up to Maradona鈥檚 death five years ago at a home outside Buenos Aires. Maradona, widely regarded as one of the greatest soccer players of all time, died at age 60 from cardiac arrest while recovering from a procedure to treat a blood clot on his brain.
The seven defendants are charged with culpable homicide, a crime similar to involuntary manslaughter, which alleges that the accused were aware that their reckless conduct posed a risk and failed to prevent it. If convicted, they face prison sentences ranging from eight to 25 years.
鈥淢aradona was abandoned to his fate, condemned to death,鈥� said Patricio Ferrari, one of the prosecutors. He added that with the evidence, the judges 鈥渨ill see that the defendants were a group of ill-prepared professionals鈥� who 鈥渄id nothing to prevent Maradona from dying.鈥�
Among those on trial are physician Leopoldo Luque, Maradona鈥檚 personal doctor during the final years of his life, psychiatrist Agustina Cosachov and psychologist Carlos D铆az.
Defense attorneys argue that the captain of Argentina鈥檚 1986 World Cup-winning team suffered from multiple and that no crime was committed.
Maradona had suffered a series of medical problems, some because of an excess of drug and alcohol consumption. He was reportedly near death in 2000 and 2004.
“Beyond the factual, medical and scientific issues, there is also a matter arising from the autopsy. The defense will prove that, unfortunately, Mr. Maradona鈥檚 death was the result of a progressive deterioration of his health that at one point simply gave out,鈥� said Vadim Mischanchuk, Cosachov’s attorney.
Hearings will take place twice a week, on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Slightly less than 100 witnesses are expected to testify, including family members, people close to the former player, medical professionals and police officers.
Judges Alberto Gaig, Alberto Ortolani and Pablo Rol贸n are expected to deliver a verdict in early June.
鈥淒iego was murdered,鈥� Fernando Burlando, attorney for Maradona’s two eldest daughters and plaintiffs in the case, Dalma and Giannina, said on Tuesday. He added that the defendants 鈥減ushed him toward death鈥� and that 鈥淒iego had thousands of chances to live.鈥�
The initial trial ended in last May after Julieta Makintach, one of the three judges overseeing the proceedings, stepped down following criticism over her participation in a documentary about the case.
Makintach withdrew after prosecutors presented footage showing her featured prominently in the documentary 鈥淒ivine Justice,鈥� which covered events from the aftermath of Maradona鈥檚 death, when allegations and suspicions of foul play first emerged, through the start of the trial.
鈥淚 present my resignation with serenity, without renouncing the right to exercise my defense in the appropriate arenas,鈥� Makintach wrote in a letter sent to judicial authorities in June.
Maradona died on Nov. 25, 2020, weeks after undergoing surgery for a subdural hematoma. He had been admitted earlier that month to a clinic in La Plata, suffering from anemia and dehydration, before being transferred to Clinica Olivos, where he underwent the procedure. After being discharged on Nov. 11, he moved to a home outside Buenos Aires, where he remained under medical supervision.
A 20-member medical panel appointed to investigate Maradona鈥檚 death released a report in 2021, where they accused Maradona鈥檚 medical team of acting in an 鈥渋nappropriate, deficient and reckless manner,鈥� leaving him in agony and without help for more than 12 hours before his death.
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