Eight will be tried for the death of Maradona, according to an Argentine court
Eight medical experts who are accused of being involved in the death of football great Diego Maradona will actually go on trial, an Argentine appeals court confirmed on Tuesday.
Leopoldo Luque, a neurosurgeon, Agustina Cosachov, a psychiatrist, and six other people had appealed a 2022 ruling that would have put them on trial for homicide with potential aggravating factors.
Maradona passed away in November 2020 at the age of 60 after battling cocaine and alcohol addictions for decades and recovering from brain surgery for a blood clot.
He was transferred to a rented home in an upscale area of Buenos Aires after being released from the hospital, where he was found dead in bed two weeks after having surgery.
His death was determined to be a heart attack.
The eight defendants had challenged the severity of the accusations to the court in San Isidro, northwest of Buenos Aires, saying they should have been charged with involuntary homicide.
The basic charge of “dolus eventualis” homicide holds a person accountable for negligence while aware that such behavior could result in death.
The doctors were charged with “reckless” and “deficient” home care for a patient, according to the prosecution.
In 2021, a group of 20 medical professionals assembled by Argentina’s public prosecutor came to the conclusion that Maradona “would have had a better chance of survival” given competent care in the right hospital.
As of yet, no trial date has been established.
A clinical doctor, a psychologist, a medical coordinator, a nursing coordinator, and nurses are among those charged.
AFP
