Prosecutors seek up to 12 years for Maradona's medical team in closing arguments

Prosecutors close their case

Prosecutors began closing arguments on Thursday, 8 October, in the trial over the death of Diego Maradona. Seven medical professionals, including his chief doctor, a psychiatrist, a psychologist and nurses, are accused of grossly inadequate care in the weeks before he died on 25 November 2020. They deny the charges. Prosecutor Patricio Ferrari said the defendants' "chaotic organization" left the ailing patient "in a helpless situation, abandoning him to his fate." He said they had "breached their duties" and "omitted all the acts they were required to perform." Franceinfo reports that Ferrari also described the group as amateurs who forgot at any moment that they were dealing with a vulnerable and complex patient.

Sentences requested

Prosecutors asked for 12 years in prison for Leopoldo Luque, the neurosurgeon who was Maradona's personal doctor, on charges of simple homicide with dolo eventual, plus ten years of professional disqualification. They asked for ten years for Nancy Forlini, the home-care coordinator for the private medicine company Swiss Medical, and eight years for the psychiatrist Agustina Cosachov. The psychologist Carlos Díaz faces a request of five years, while the chief nurse Mariano Perroni and the nurse Ricardo Almirón face four years each. El Periódico reports that prosecutors sought acquittal for the clinical doctor Pedro Di Spagna, who visited Maradona only once. Prosecutors described the treatment as "anárquico" (anarchic), with two leaderships and two independent channels of information.

Why home convalescence became the central question

The case turns on whether doctors were negligent in allowing Maradona to convalesce in a private home rather than a hospital. Prosecutors pointed to the near-total absence of medical equipment, including a hospital bed, a defibrillator and a quickly available ambulance. Several medical experts testified that the carers failed to react to warning signs, among them oedema, tachycardia and difficulty breathing. Jana Maradona accused Luque of pressing for home convalescence, according to SudOuest, promising that her father would be looked after around the clock. Defence experts argued that hospitalisation under mental health law must be the last resort, while a larger group of experts said Maradona was in alcohol withdrawal, in psychomotor agitation, and needed a care or rehabilitation centre. Assistant prosecutor Cosme Iribarren summarized the case on Thursday.

Diego Armando Maradona's death clearly did not come out of nowhere: the signs of this fatal outcome began to appear long beforehand.

The charge of dolo eventual means a person is aware that their actions could cause harm but persists nonetheless. Each defendant has downplayed their own individual responsibility for his care, and the health workers argue that the death could not have been foreseen.

Trial and what comes next

The trial opened on 14 April before Tribunal Oral en lo Criminal No. 7 in San Isidro, with 45 hearings, 75 testimonies and about a hundred messages put before the court. The first trial was annulled suddenly last year after two and a half months of hearings, when it emerged that one judge had taken part in a secret documentary about the case. Defendants face up to 25 years in prison if convicted. Closing arguments are expected to run for about two weeks, and the verdict will be set for a later date. Maradona's daughters attended the session on Thursday. Maradona died at 60 of heart failure and acute pulmonary oedema at a rented home in Tigre, two weeks after surgery for a brain clot.