Prosecutors Seek Up to 12 Years in Prison in Maradona Death Trial
Theo Al Jazeera English
Argentine prosecutors have asked the court to impose sentences of up to 12 years on seven medical workers accused of negligent care in the 2020 death of Diego Maradona, calling their treatment "chaotic." The defendants, who have all denied the charges, face terms ranging from four to 12 years.
Argentine prosecutors have delivered their closing arguments in court, arguing that the "chaotic" medical team that cared for football legend Diego Maradona at the time of his death deserves prison sentences of up to 12 years.
Seven medical workers have been on trial since April over the death of Maradona on November 25, 2020, while he was recovering after surgery for a blood clot in his brain.
The 1986 World Cup star died of heart failure and acute pulmonary edema — fluid accumulation in the lungs — at a rented house in Tigre, on the outskirts of Buenos Aires, two weeks after the surgery. He was 60 years old.
The medical team includes the lead treating physician, a psychiatrist, a psychologist and nurses accused of providing seriously negligent care before his death. All have denied the charges.
In his closing argument, prosecutor Patricio Ferrari said the defendants' "chaotic organization" left the patient "helpless, abandoned to his fate." He accused them of "breaching their duties, committing acts contrary to medical ethics" and "ignoring everything they should have done."
The defendants face charges of "dolo eventual" — a legal term referring to a situation in which a person is aware their conduct could cause harm but proceeds anyway.
The longest sentence sought by the prosecution is 12 years for Maradona's personal physician, Leopoldo Luque. The other medical workers, including a psychiatrist, a nurse and coordinators, face sentences ranging from four to 10 years.
The medical workers argue that Maradona's death was unforeseeable and that they did their jobs properly. Each defendant has also played down their own responsibility for his care.
The case hinges on whether the decision to let Maradona recover at a private home rather than a hospital amounted to negligence. The prosecution also pointed to an almost total lack of medical equipment such as a hospital bed, a defibrillator or a standby ambulance, calling it evidence of the defendants' irresponsibility.
Several medical experts testified that Maradona's caregivers failed to react to key warning signs — he was swollen, had a rapid heart rate and was short of breath — before he died.
"The death of Diego Armando Maradona clearly did not come out of nowhere: the signs leading to the fatal outcome had appeared long before," assistant prosecutor Cosme Iribarren told the court.
The prosecution once again showed the court shocking images of the former player lying dead on his bed, his abdomen abnormally swollen. Maradona's three daughters, present in court, covered their faces with their hands to avoid looking at the images.
The closing arguments are expected to last about two weeks, with a verdict to be delivered at a later date.
The first trial over Maradona's death was sensationally cancelled last year after two and a half months of proceedings, following reports that one of the judges had taken part in a secret documentary about the case.
