Maradona death trial: prosecutor calls the accused a ‘group of amateurs’

The new trial over the death of Argentine football superstar Diego Maradona kicked off on Tuesday, with opening statements by the prosecution, the defendants and the complainants. Maradona died from an acute pulmonary edema in 2020. The trial centers around the circumstances of his death and the attention he received from his doctors and nurses.  Eight people stand accused of failing to administer proper medical care to Maradona, chiefly Maradona’s main medical advisor, Leopoldo Luque, as well as his psychiatrist, Agustina Cosachov, and psychologist, Carlos Díaz.  This will be the second time the proceeding goes ahead, after the first court case was declared a mistrial in May 2025. After a short debate on whether the hearings should be broadcast live — a request by the defendants’ lawyers that was rejected by judges Alberto Ortolani, Alberto Gaig and Pablo Rolón — Patricio Ferrari gave the prosecution’s opening statement. “The group of amateurs I have here on my right,” he said in reference to the seven accused, “having each assumed their respective roles and failed to fulfill all the duties of their positions, created a series of factors that significantly increased the risk beyond the permissible level [for Maradona].” Ferrari went on to say the accused “left Diego Maradona to fend for himself, condemning him to death;” that they “did nothing to avoid his passing” and that “taking him to a hospital or giving him a simple diuretic would’ve saved his life.” Francisco Onetto and Roberto Rallín, who defend Maradona’s main medical advisor Luque, insisted that “Diego wouldn’t want Luque sentenced if he was alive” and said the neurosurgeon “isn’t a murderer but a good man.” They argued Luque “wasn’t in charge of Maradona’s health” and insisted the case “would’ve been dropped if it wasn’t about Diego Armando Maradona.” Vadim Mischanchuk, lawyer to Maradona’s psychiatrist Agustina Cosachov, said “Maradona was in charge of his own health and that he “made the decisions—some right, some wrong.” “The defense will prove that, unfortunately, Mr. Maradona’s death was due to a progressive deterioration of his health, which eventually reached a breaking point,” he argued. For his part, Fernando Burlando, who represents Maradona’s two daughters with long-time wife Claudia Villafañe, Dalma and Giannina, insisted the former star had been “murdered,” as he had been taken to a “home care” where “there wasn’t even a band-aid” shortly after recovering from a surgery to remove a subdural hematoma, on November 3. Around 100 witnesses are expected to give their testimony in the trial, dropping from the over 200 listed for the original trial. You may also be interested in: The trial over the death of Diego Maradona starts again. Here’s all you need to know