Inadequate care before death?
Eight Maradona doctors have to go to court
6/23/2022 1:33 am
The court battle over the death of former soccer star Diego Maradona has been going on for months. The personal physician and seven other team members are accused of negligent homicide. A judge now confirms a planned trial. If found guilty, they face long prison sentences.
After the death of soccer idol Diego Maradona, members of his medical team have been charged with manslaughter in an Argentine court. A judge in San Isidro near Buenos Aires confirmed the planned trial against the eight members of the team, including Maradona’s personal physician Leopoldo Luque. However, he did not initially name a date.
Maradona died of a heart attack in November 2020 at the age of 60. His medical staff is suspected of not providing the ex-footballer with sufficient care before his death. Three weeks before his death, Maradona had undergone brain surgery performed by Luque for a blood clot. A few days later he was discharged from the hospital. He then died a little later.
Prosecutors accuse Maradona’s treatment team of not providing him with adequate care. Instead, they would have left him to his fate through oversight and mismanagement. In addition to neurosurgeon and general practitioner Luque, the accused include psychiatrist Agustina Cosachov, psychologist Carlos Diaz, medical coordinator Nancy Forlini, and Maradona’s nurses. In their interrogations, they denied any guilt. If convicted, they face prison terms of between eight and 25 years.
The judicial struggle over the death of the former soccer star has been going on for months. The accused had been heard in court last year. They rejected the allegations. Previously, a report by 20 medical experts had shown that Maradona had been treated “insufficiently, inadequately and carelessly” by his medical team at his residence near the Argentine capital, which led to the ex-footballer’s slow death.
Maradona is considered one of the greatest footballers of all time. His death caused consternation around the world. After his active career, the life of the former world champion was characterized by many ups and downs as well as drug and alcohol addiction.