Diego Maradona, who passed away in November 2020 at the age of 60 while recovering from brain surgery for a blood clot, had long struggled with cocaine and alcohol addiction. On Thursday, an Argentine court postponed the criminal trial of seven out of eight medical professionals accused of negligence in his death. Originally set to begin next month after a previous delay in May, the trial is now rescheduled for March 11, 2025, according to a court ruling obtained by AFP.
Maradona, who died of a heart attack, was found in his bed two weeks after his surgery, in a rented home in an upscale Buenos Aires neighborhood where he was transferred post-hospital discharge.
In 2023, an Argentine appeals court ruled that neurosurgeon Leopoldo Luque, psychiatrist Agustina Cosachov, and six others, including nurses, would face trial, rejecting appeals from the defendants. One of the nurses, Gisela Dahiana Madrid, requested a separate jury trial, which is scheduled to proceed on October 2.
Prosecutors have accused the medical team of providing “reckless” and “inadequate” home care to Maradona. A panel of 20 medical experts, convened by the public prosecutor in 2021, concluded that Maradona “would have had a better chance of survival” with proper medical care in a suitable facility.
The accused medical professionals face potential prison sentences of 8 to 25 years.
