Seven Healthcare Workers Face Jail in Maradona Death Trial

Four years after the death of Argentine football legend Diego Maradona, seven healthcare professionals will stand trial next week, accused of negligence during his final days.

The seven defendants, including neurosurgeon Leopoldo Luque and psychiatrist Agustina Cosachov, risk between eight and 25 years in jail if convicted.

Maradona died on November 25, 2020, at the age of 60, while recovering from brain surgery for a blood clot. He had struggled with cocaine and alcohol addictions for decades.

The night nurse reported seeing “warning signs” but claimed to have “received orders not to wake him up.” Maradona was found dead in bed in a rented house in an exclusive Buenos Aires neighborhood.

Prosecutors accuse the medical professionals of providing “reckless” and “deficient” home treatment to Maradona, alleging he was abandoned to his fate for a “prolonged, agonizing period” before his death.

A panel of 20 medical experts concluded in 2021 that Maradona “would have had a better chance of survival” with adequate treatment in an appropriate medical facility.

The accused all deny any responsibility in Maradona’s death. Vadim Mischanchuk, lawyer for Cosachov, expressed optimism about an acquittal, given that his client was in charge of Maradona’s mental rather than physical health.

Maradona’s family claims that leaked audio and text messages show that the star’s health was in imminent danger. Mario Baudry, a lawyer for Maradona’s son Dieguito, stated that the messages revealed the medical team’s strategy was to prevent Maradona’s daughters from intervening “because if they did, they (the medical staff) would lose their money.”

Maradona is immortalized in countless murals, statues, and exhibitions across Argentina. A mausoleum is being built in his honor in Buenos Aires, expected to receive up to a million visitors a year.