“This is a radical change”
Report puts Maradona’s death in a different light
April 30, 2024, 11:32 a.m
Eight doctors are on trial because they are said to be partly responsible for the death of Diego Maradona. The trial begins in June – there is already excitement. Because a forensic pathologist comes to a completely different conclusion.
A medical report on the death of Argentine football legend Diego Maradona has raised questions about the responsibility of the doctors involved. A coroner, on behalf of an accused doctor, reopened the investigation into Maradona’s cause of death, in which the neurosurgeon Leopoldo Luque and seven others involved were held responsible for the athlete’s avoidable death. The eight suspects will soon have to stand trial for homicide.
Maradona, who led Argentina to victory in the 1986 World Cup, died of a heart attack in 2020 while recovering from brain surgery. He was 60 years old. Police officers then searched the homes and offices of his doctors, while Maradona’s family urged the judiciary to intervene. The public prosecutor ultimately charged the eight doctors with homicide – a serious charge that leaves open the possibility of premeditation and can lead to prison sentences of between eight and 25 years. The trial is scheduled to begin on June 4th.
Strong criticism of the report
In his report, forensic pathologist Pablo Ferrari concluded that Maradona’s rapid, irregular heartbeat was either of natural origin or resulted from an external factor, possibly a drug such as cocaine. Ferrari said he could not prepare a toxicology report due to Maradona’s insufficient urine sample. The findings contradict those of a 20-member medical panel that investigated Maradona’s death.
This 2021 report accuses Maradona’s medical team of acting “inappropriately, deficiently and recklessly” and leaving the footballer to fend for himself in mortal fear more than twelve hours before his death. Ferrari disputes the extent of the suffering, saying the arrhythmia could not have lasted more than a few minutes or at most a few hours.
“This is a radical turnaround in the case,” said Vadim Mischanchuk, the defense attorney for Maradona’s psychiatrist Agustina Cosachov. Instead of a cardiac event that lasted several days, it was now one that only lasted a few minutes. The public prosecutor criticized the report as hastily cobbled together in 72 hours. She accused Ferrari of neglecting evidence collected over four years in favor of a few pieces of defense evidence. “There is no twist in this case,” prosecutors said.