Maradona death trial: verdict expected December 22 in Argentina
A Buenos Aires court will deliver its verdict on December 22 in the trial of seven healthcare workers accused of negligence in Diego Maradona's 2020 death.
Argentina court sets December 22 for Maradona negligence verdict
A court in San Isidro, Argentina will deliver its verdict on December 22 in the trial over the 2020 death of football legend Diego Maradona, the Jamaica Observer reports. The announcement came Thursday after six months of hearings.
Seven healthcare professionals face charges of negligence in connection with Maradona's death. The final session included brief statements from the defendants and from his daughter, Dalma Maradona, who addressed the court with an emotional appeal.
"I hope my father receives the justice he deserves — like anyone else," Dalma said, her voice breaking.
The lead defendant, Dr Leopoldo Luque, Maradona's primary physician, was unequivocal: "I am innocent." His defence team argued during Wednesday's closing arguments that Maradona's death was not foreseeable, describing Luque as a "scapegoat."
Maradona was found dead in his bed on November 25, 2020, at a rented residence in Tigre, north of Buenos Aires, where he had been convalescing after minor neurosurgery. The cause of death was heart failure compounded by pulmonary oedema. He was 60.
His death, coming in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic, sent Argentina into national mourning.
Prosecutors are seeking prison sentences of four to twelve years for six of the seven accused, with the maximum 12-year term requested for Luque.
Source: Jamaica Observer