A retrial into the death of the football legend Diego Maradona began on Tuesday, a year after the first case collapsed in a mistrial. Seven members of his medical team are charged with negligent homicide after he died from a heart attack at the age of 60. They have denied the allegations, and if convicted, they face between eight and 25 years in prison.
The first trial collapsed last May when one of its three judges resigned after allegedly allowing unauthorized filming in court for a documentary. Maradona passed away in 2020 at his home in Tigre, Buenos Aires province, while recuperating from surgery to remove a brain blood clot.
Investigators classified the case as culpable homicide - a crime similar to involuntary manslaughter - because they asserted the accused were aware of the seriousness of Maradona's health condition but did not take the necessary measures to save him. The heart failure caused him to suffer acute pulmonary edema, as confirmed by the preliminary autopsy.
A panel of medical experts, asked by prosecutors to investigate Maradona's medical team, said the treatment he received at his home was 'deficient and reckless', concluding that the footballer 'would have had a better chance of survival' with adequate care in a medical facility.
The seven individuals on trial include his main medical advisor, Leopoldo Luque, and his psychiatrist, Agustina Cosachov. Maradona's former nurse, Dahiana Gisela Madrid, will stand in a separate trial.
Around 100 people are set to testify before a new set of judges at a court in San Isidro, including Maradona's daughters. The trial is expected to last until July. When Maradona died on November 25, 2020, then-President of Argentina Alberto Fernandez declared three days of national mourning, saying, 'Thank you for having existed, Diego. We're going to miss you all our lives.'
Maradona, who began his career with Argentinos Juniors, represented Argentina in four World Cups, scoring 34 goals, including the infamous 'Hand of God' goal against England in 1986. His life was marred by struggles with addiction and health issues, but he remains one of football's most iconic figures.
The first trial collapsed last May when one of its three judges resigned after allegedly allowing unauthorized filming in court for a documentary. Maradona passed away in 2020 at his home in Tigre, Buenos Aires province, while recuperating from surgery to remove a brain blood clot.
Investigators classified the case as culpable homicide - a crime similar to involuntary manslaughter - because they asserted the accused were aware of the seriousness of Maradona's health condition but did not take the necessary measures to save him. The heart failure caused him to suffer acute pulmonary edema, as confirmed by the preliminary autopsy.
A panel of medical experts, asked by prosecutors to investigate Maradona's medical team, said the treatment he received at his home was 'deficient and reckless', concluding that the footballer 'would have had a better chance of survival' with adequate care in a medical facility.
The seven individuals on trial include his main medical advisor, Leopoldo Luque, and his psychiatrist, Agustina Cosachov. Maradona's former nurse, Dahiana Gisela Madrid, will stand in a separate trial.
Around 100 people are set to testify before a new set of judges at a court in San Isidro, including Maradona's daughters. The trial is expected to last until July. When Maradona died on November 25, 2020, then-President of Argentina Alberto Fernandez declared three days of national mourning, saying, 'Thank you for having existed, Diego. We're going to miss you all our lives.'
Maradona, who began his career with Argentinos Juniors, represented Argentina in four World Cups, scoring 34 goals, including the infamous 'Hand of God' goal against England in 1986. His life was marred by struggles with addiction and health issues, but he remains one of football's most iconic figures.
