Doctors who looked after football legend Diego Maradona charged over his death
23 June 2022, 10:55
Eight medical personnel who took care of football legend Diego Maradona will face a public trial for criminal negligence, an Argentinian judge has ruled.
The defendants are accused of failing to take proper care of Maradona when he was recovering from surgery, which led to his death.
The ruling said that eight people including doctors, nurses and a psychologist who cared for Maradona at the time of his death are accused of "simple homicide," a serious charge that means taking a life with intent.
A medical board appointed to investigate Maradona's death concluded in 2021 that the soccer star's medical team acted in an "inappropriate, deficient and reckless manner."
The 236-page charge states that the judge will probe 'the behaviours – active or by omission – of each of the accused which led to and contributed to the realisation of the harmful result'.
The trial is not expected to begin until the end of 2023 or early 2024.
Read More: Heart-stopping moment hero coach leaps into pool after US swimmer faints underwater
The World Cup winner died at the age of 60 on November 25, 2020 due to a cardio-respiratory arrest while he was recovering at a house outside Buenos Aires from surgery for a blood clot on his brain.
Maradona’s autopsy said he died of natural causes, but Argentina’s judiciary started investigating the case after pressure from ex-footballer’s family.
A medical panel said the performance of the staff that took care of the 1986 World Cup winner was inadequate. A board ruled in 2021 that doctors behaved in a 'inappropriate, deficient and reckless manner'.
The doctors' charges can result in up to 25 years' imprisonment. They have all denied wrongdoing.
