Argentina launches retrial into circumstances of Maradona’s death

A new trial has begun in Argentina to determine responsibility for the death of football legend Diego Maradona, nearly a year after the original proceedings collapsed in a mistrial that drew widespread attention.

Maradona, considered one of the greatest players in football history, died of heart failure on November 25, 2020, at the age of 60. He had been recovering at home in Buenos Aires province following surgery for a subdural hematoma just two weeks earlier.

Seven medical professionals are now facing trial, including psychiatrist Agustina Cosachov, neurosurgeon Leopoldo Luque and psychologist Carlos Díaz. Prosecutors accuse them of negligence in the circumstances leading to Maradona’s death, as South American media reports.

All defendants have pleaded not guilty to manslaughter with implied malice, charges that carry potential prison sentences of between eight and 25 years.

The earlier trial, which ran for nearly three months, was annulled after Judge Julieta Makintach was removed from the case over allegations of bias and claims she had allowed individuals close to her to film the hearings for a documentary.

Defence lawyers have rejected accusations of malpractice, arguing that Maradona had been suffering from multiple serious health conditions prior to his death. “We started this trial to demonstrate the absence of criminal responsibility in each of the seven defendants, because it is clear that there was no intentional criminal plan to kill Maradona,” said Vadim Mischanchuk, who represents Cosachov.

An eighth defendant, nurse Dahiana Madrid, will be tried separately after requesting a jury trial, though a date for those proceedings has yet to be set.

Lawyers representing Maradona’s family have taken a sharply different stance. Mario Baudry, who represents the footballer’s youngest son, said he hopes those accused are convicted. “And I hope the judges are severe with Luque, Cosachov and Díaz, those ultimately responsible. They failed to do what they were supposed to do as medical professionals and with the responsibility they had assumed,” he said.

Baudry added that the case is under intense scrutiny following the controversy that derailed the previous proceedings. “I think the entire San Isidro judiciary will be under scrutiny in this trial,” he said.

This time, the court is expected to hear from fewer witnesses, focusing specifically on the final two weeks of Maradona’s life—from November 11 to 25, 2020—in an effort to reconstruct the events leading up to his death. Testimony will include medical experts as well as members of Maradona’s family, among them his daughters Dalma, Giannina and Jana, and his former partner Verónica Ojeda.

By Nazrin Sadigova