Neurosurgeon Luque denies responsibility in Maradona's death in final statement
Leopoldo Luque told the court that he acted only as a neurosurgeon and did not oversee the home care where Maradona died in 2020.
Luque distanced himself from Maradona's home care in his final statement
Leopoldo Luque, the main defendant in the death of Diego Maradona in 2020, presented his final statement before the court trying him in Buenos Aires on Tuesday. According to chicagotribune.com, the neurosurgeon maintained that his involvement was limited to surgical follow-up and that it was not his responsibility to supervise the clinical condition of the former footballer during the home care in which he died.
"I performed the neurosurgery follow-up, I did not coordinate the home care. I am not a clinician, nor a psychologist nor a psychiatrist," Luque declared before the court, responding to questions from his lawyers. The doctor also distanced himself from all responsibility regarding the nurses who attended to Maradona, noting that they were assigned by a private medical company.
Maradona died on 25 November 2020, at the age of 60, from heart failure whilst recovering in a rented house following surgery to remove a subdural haematoma performed two weeks earlier. The former captain of the Argentine squad that won the world championship in 1986 was under home care when he died.
Exchange of accusations among the defendants
Luque's statement came in direct response to allegations by consultant physician Pedro Di Spagna, another of the seven healthcare professionals charged in the case. Di Spagna claimed to have "a clear conscience" regarding his actions and identified Luque as the "attending physician" who closely oversaw the former player's health.
"I feel that humanly and medically I did what was requested of me; going beyond would have been an ethical violation... I did not take photos with the patient nor did I speak about him in the press," Di Spagna declared, in an implicit allusion to the close relationship that Luque maintained with Maradona and his frequent presence in the media.
Di Spagna explained that his function was limited to suggesting complementary studies, without intervening in the decisions of the primary care physicians. He also recounted that on 18 November 2020, seven days before Maradona's death, he returned to the house with a nutritionist but was unable to examine the patient: according to his testimony, Luque arrived and informed him that it was not possible to see him.
Equipment and conditions of the house in question
During the judicial process, Maradona's family members declared that the house where the player was undergoing home care lacked both adequate medical equipment and appropriate sanitary conditions. These testimonies form part of the evidence that the court is evaluating.
The seven defendants—including psychiatrist Agustina Cosachov, psychologist Carlos Díaz, physician Nancy Forlini, the representative of the nursing company Mariano Perroni and nurse Ricardo Almirón—are accused of simple homicide with indirect intent. This legal classification is applied when the accused knows the risk that his or her conduct implies and continues with it anyway; the maximum sentence provided for is 25 years imprisonment.
Final arguments to begin next week
With Luque's statement, the investigation stage concludes. Starting next week, the three judges of the court will hear the arguments of the prosecution, the plaintiff and the defence teams, in the final phase of the judicial process for the death of the world football star.
Source: Google News AR — Crime