Thursday, May 20, 2021
Indictment: willful murder
Maradona’s doctors face up to 25 years in prison
Seven people, including Diego Maradona’s neurosurgeon, his psychiatrist and his psychologist Carlos Diaz, are charged with premeditated murder in Argentina. The doctors are accused of insufficient medical care for the soccer star before his death. Long prison terms are threatened.
Seven people under investigation into the death of Argentine football legend Diego Maradona last November have been charged with willful murder. The French news agency AFP learned this from judicial circles. The defendants, including Maradona’s neurosurgeon Leopoldo Luque, the psychiatrist Agustina Cosachov and the psychologist Carlos Diaz, should expect eight to 25 years in prison if found guilty.
The charges are based on the results of a panel of experts investigating Maradona’s death from a heart attack. The report concluded that Maradona, who died at the age of 60, received inadequate medical care and was left to his fate for a “long, agonizing period”. The process started “at least twelve hours” before his final death.
What did the doctors know?
The defendants are not allowed to leave the country and must appear for an investigation between May 31 and June 14. The lawsuit was sparked by a lawsuit brought by two of Maradona’s five daughters against Luque, whom they hold responsible for their father’s deteriorating condition after brain surgery in October. Prosecutors believe Maradona’s death was not the result of malpractice or negligence on the part of his doctors, but that they knew the former soccer star was going to die and did nothing to prevent it. Prosecutors allegedly received a series of messages and sound recordings showing that the medical team knew Maradona had been using alcohol, psychotropic drugs and marijuana in the final months of his life.
Maradona had had a brain operation on November 3 for a blood clot and died of heart failure on November 25 at the age of 60. According to the autopsy, he had liver, kidney and cardiovascular problems. No traces of alcohol or drugs were found.
Maradona is considered one of the best footballers of all time, his death caused consternation worldwide. The life of the former world champion was marked by ups and downs as well as drug and alcohol addiction after his active career. Maradona repeatedly struggled with health problems. He suffered two heart attacks, contracted hepatitis and had gastric bypass surgery because he was overweight.
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