Trial over Maradona's death: verdict on 22 December, Dalma calls for justice
The San Isidro court has set 22 December for issuing the verdict against seven healthcare professionals over the death of Diego Maradona.
Verdict on 22 December in Maradona death trial
The San Isidro court will issue its verdict on 22 December 2026, according to france24.com, bringing to a close six months of hearings in the case against seven healthcare professionals accused of responsibility for Diego Maradona's death. The announcement was accompanied by words from Dalma Maradona, the former footballer's eldest daughter: "I want to ask them to give my dad the justice he deserves".
Maradona died on 25 November 2020, aged 60, from cardiac arrest and pulmonary oedema. He was in home care in Tigre, north of Buenos Aires, where he was recovering from neurosurgery. The trial began in April, accumulated 51 hearings and featured testimony from more than 70 witnesses.
The court president, Alberto Gaig, closed the proceedings by announcing with tears that the verdict and any sentences would be announced "on 22 December 2026" at 12:00 local time (15:00 GMT). Before the closure, Maradona's personal physician and principal defendant, Leopoldo Luque, took the stand to reaffirm his innocence: "It hurt me, it will always hurt me".
The accusations and sentences sought
The prosecution sought between 4 and 12 years in prison for six of the seven defendants for homicide with eventual intent, a charge implying that the accused were aware that their actions or omissions could lead to the former footballer's death. The seventh defendant, clinical physician Pedro Di Spagna, received a request for acquittal. "Given that there is no accusation sustained by the prosecuting parties, Pedro Pablo Di Spagna should be acquitted," Gaig stated.
The highest sentences fell on three defendants: Leopoldo Luque, with 12 years in prison sought; medical coordinator Nancy Forlini, with 10 years; and psychiatrist Agustina Cosachov, with 8 years.
The defence arguments
During the final three days of proceedings, defence lawyers insisted that Maradona died from causes beyond the competence of their clients. Luque's lawyer argued on Wednesday that his client was a "scapegoat" in the case, that he did not control day-to-day operations at the residence where Maradona was convalescing, and that the former player died from a sudden and unforeseeable cardiac event.
Cosachov's defence, for its part, charged at the private medical company: "Nobody informed her about the tachycardia, about the hypertension, nobody informed her of anything," said lawyer Vadim Mischanchuk. He also asserted that the psychiatrist always acted in response to warning signs that appeared in the days before the idol's death.
Forlini was accused of failing to supply basic medical equipment to the residence. Her defence replied that she only provided "services requested by the treating doctors, who never asked Nancy for any type of equipment," pointing to Luque and Cosachov as the responsible physicians.
In the case of nurse Perroni, the prosecution reproached him for not delivering medical summaries to staff and for failing to properly supervise the nurses on duty. "There was not a single omission or breach by Perroni that contributed to Diego Maradona's death," replied his lawyer Martín Montalto.
Finally, Almirón was indicated for failing to correctly record the vital signs of the Diez. His defence lawyer, Franco Chiarelli, argued that of the 23 reports completed throughout the entire period of care, the majority were prepared by his own client.
The ruling on 22 December will determine whether the accused are found guilty of homicide with eventual intent or whether Argentine justice concludes that the death of one of world football's most emblematic figures cannot be criminally imputed to those who were in charge of his care.
Source: Google News AR — Crime