Diego Maradona death trial: shocking details emerge

Four years after the death of legendary footballer Diego Maradona, the trial against seven medical professionals is underway in San Isidro, on the outskirts of Buenos Aires. The defendants, doctors, psychiatrists, psychologists and nurses, are accused of "possible intentional homicide", a crime that, according to the Argentine penal code, requires the perpetrator to act with a form of gross negligence, aware of the possibility of a fatal outcome, Reuters reports.

• Context of death

Maradona died on November 25, 2020, at the age of 60, following a cardiorespiratory crisis and acute pulmonary edema, at his residence in Tigre. Recovering from surgery for a subdural hematoma, the former footballer was, in theory, under medical supervision. However, the conditions in which he was cared for have raised serious questions among investigators and the public, according to Le Figaro.

• Court testimony: "Minimal care"

At the 12th hearing of the trial, representatives of a private medical services company responsible for the logistics of home care said that Maradona's medical team - including some of the defendants - had chosen a fragmented care system, with minimal equipment and supervision, Reuters reports. Enrique Barrio, the coordinator of the external team, said that initially a request was made for a doctor to come daily, but this request quickly turned into a weekly one. "It was never a "hospital at home' service, but "home care', that is, without a defibrillator, without a heart monitor," Barrio said. The only specific request for medical equipment that was met was the provision of a toilet seat.

• Family: Betrayal and lack of transparency

Dalma Maradona, the former footballer's eldest daughter, testified accusing her father's entourage of "deceiving" the family by promising a complete home care system that was never implemented. She also said that she and her sister, Gianinna, did not have "too much influence" in making crucial medical decisions, being left on the sidelines of the decision-making process, the newspaper La Nacion reported.

• A theatre of negligence

Prosecutors described the conditions in which Maradona died as a "theatre of horror", questioning not only the professionalism of the medical team but also the strategic decisions regarding the place and method of convalescence. According to the investigation by an independent medical commission, cited by the BBC, Maradona "was not treated according to appropriate medical standards" and was left to die in an "agony, slow, prolonged" way.

• Risk of heavy sentences

Argentine media reports that all defendants deny any responsibility, but if found guilty, they face sentences of between 8 and 25 years in prison. The trial is expected to continue until July 2025, with two hearings per week.