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Maradona's medical team on trial for homicide: All about the case
Maradona death: The case centers on claims of negligent care during his recovery from brain surgery, with prosecutors arguing his death was preventable.
Seven medical professionals who were responsible for treating Argentine soccer legend Diego Maradona in his final days are set to stand trial for culpable homicide. The trial, beginning Tuesday in Buenos Aires, will examine allegations that negligence by Maradona’s doctors and caregivers led to his untimely death in 2020 at the age of 60.
The case
Maradona, widely regarded as one of the greatest soccer players of all time, suffered a fatal heart attack at his rented residence in Tigre, an affluent district north of Buenos Aires, while recovering from brain surgery to remove a blood clot.
Despite his history of addiction, obesity, and alcoholism, prosecutors argue that Maradona’s death was preventable, had he received proper medical care. An investigative medical panel found that his treatment was “inappropriate, deficient and reckless,” prompting legal action against his caregivers.
Who is on trial?
The seven defendants include a mix of doctors, nurses, and specialists who played key roles in Maradona’s medical care
- Leopoldo Luque – Maradona’s personal doctor and neurosurgeon, who performed the brain surgery and oversaw his transition from hospital to home care.
- Agustina Cosachov – Psychiatrist who prescribed Maradona’s medications for anxiety and depression.
- Carlos Diaz – Addiction specialist who managed Maradona’s alcohol dependency treatment.
- Nancy Forlini – Doctor involved in Maradona’s home care management.
- Mariano Perroni – Nursing coordinator overseeing his care.
- Ricardo Almirón – Nurse assigned to Maradona’s daily health monitoring.
- Pedro Pablo Di Spagna – Clinical physician who was also part of Maradona’s medical team.
An eighth medical professional, nurse Gisela Dahiana Madrid, has requested a separate jury trial at a later date.
The evidence and allegations
The case against Maradona’s caregivers is built on extensive evidence, including over 120,000 messages and audio recordings of conversations between the medical team and other involved parties. Prosecutors claim that:
- Maradona was discharged too quickly from the hospital after his brain surgery, despite requiring ongoing intensive care.
- His home recovery was poorly managed and did not meet proper medical protocols.
- Essential medical equipment, including a defibrillator and oxygen supply, was unavailable.
- His caregivers failed to monitor symptoms of heart failure, including severe swelling and a deteriorating condition over 12 hours before his death.
Defense Arguments
All defendants deny wrongdoing, asserting that Maradona was a difficult patient who resisted treatment. Luque has maintained that Maradona insisted on outpatient care, rejecting more intensive medical supervision. The defense has also presented a separate forensic study claiming that Maradona’s death was “sudden and without agony.”
“The death occurred unexpectedly, suddenly, during sleeping hours, without offering us any time,” said Luque, the neurologist. In response to the damning medical panel report, the defense commissioned its own forensic study to support its claim that Maradona's death “was sudden and without agony."
Luque stressed that it was Maradona himself who insisted on home-hospitalization.
Maradona secluded himself during the height of the coronavirus pandemic, as his chronic health problems made him more vulnerable to becoming infected and more likely to become severely ill.
The isolation unleashed depression and anxiety for the superstar in early 2020, according to hundreds of pages of court documents reviewed by The Associated Press. Maradona turned to alcohol, a vice that had long played a role in his troubled legacy.
If convicted of culpable homicide, the accused medical professionals could face up to 25 years in prison.
