April 19, (THEWILL) – An appeal court in Argentina has upheld a decision to put eight medical professionals on trial for their alleged role in the death of football legend, Diego Maradona.
The defendants, including neurosurgeon Leopoldo Luque and psychiatrist Agustina Cosachov, had appealed a 2022 decision to charge them with homicide with potential aggravating circumstances. The medical team is accused of providing negligent and inadequate home treatment to Maradona, who died in November 2020, at the age of 60.
As THEWILL reported at the time, Maradona was recovering from brain surgery for a blood clot when he died. His decades-long struggles with addiction to cocaine and alcohol were well-documented, and he had been discharged from the hospital and brought to a rented house in a Buenos Aires neighbourhood. Two weeks later, he was found dead in bed of a heart attack.
Prosecutors allege that the medical professionals were involved in the “reckless” and “deficient” home treatment that contributed to his death. The defendants argued that they should be charged with involuntary homicide rather than homicide with “dolus eventualis,” which holds a person responsible for negligence while knowing that such conduct could lead to death. Among those accused are a psychologist, clinical doctor, medical coordinator, nursing coordinator, and nurses.
A panel of 20 medical experts convened by Argentina’s public prosecutor in 2021 concluded that Maradona “would have had a better chance of survival” with adequate treatment in a medical facility. No trial date has been set yet.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
