Maradona medical team on trial for 'horror theater' of his death

Maradona died on November 25, 2020, aged 60, while recovering at home from brain surgery for a blood clot, after decades battling cocaine and alcohol addictions.

On trial are a neurosurgeon, a psychiatrist, a psychologist, a medical coordinator, a nursing coordinator, a doctor and a night nurse accused of being criminally negligent in the care they provided to the footballer in his final days.

In an opening statement, the prosecution said it intended to submit "solid" evidence that no member of the medical team "did what they were supposed to do" in the "horror theater" that was Maradona's deathbed.

"Look, that's how Maradona died!" prosecutor Patricio Ferrari exclaimed in the courtroom, holding up a posthumous photo of Maradona, lying on his back in bed, his body grotesquely swollen.

The gruesome picture brought Maradona's three daughters, Jana, Dalma and Gianinna, who attended the start of the trial, to the verge of tears.

"They (the accused) are lying to you when they say they did not take part in murder," Ferrari charged.

Fernando Burlando, lawyer for Dalma and Gianinna, described Maradona's medical team as "diabolical."

The defendants face prison terms of between eight and 25 years if convicted on charges of "homicide with possible intent" -- pursuing a course of action despite knowing it can cause death.

Outside the court, dozens of fans waved banners calling for "justice."

Veronica Ojeda, Maradona's former partner and mother of one of his sons, 12-year-old Dieguito, tearfully thanked them for their support before entering the courthouse.

- 'Totally deficient' -

Maradona was found dead two weeks after going under the knife, in a rented house in an exclusive Buenos Aires neighborhood where he was brought after being discharged from hospital.

It was determined he died of heart failure and acute pulmonary edema, a condition where fluid accumulates in the lungs.

The passing of the 1986 World Cup star plunged Argentina, and football fans worldwide, into mourning in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Tens of thousands of people queued to bid farewell to the former Boca Juniors and Napoli striker as his body lay in state at the presidential palace.

Nearly 120 witnesses, including members of Maradona's family and doctors who previously tended to him, are expected to testify in the long-delayed trial in the Buenos Aires suburb of San Isidro.

The hearings, adjourned until Thursday, are expected to run until July.

A day nurse who found Maradona dead is to be tried separately, by jury.

Prosecutors accuse his medical team of pushing for Maradona to receive home care, which proved "reckless" and "totally deficient."

They allege the footballer was abandoned to his fate for a "prolonged, agonizing period" before his death.

Maradona's five children and his sisters have joined the case as plaintiffs.

- 'Justice for Diego' -

A panel of 20 medical experts convened by Argentina's public prosecutor concluded in 2021 that Maradona "would have had a better chance of survival" with adequate treatment in an appropriate medical facility.

The house where he was being cared for notably had no defibrillator.

Maradona's family also claim that leaked audio and text messages between medical team members show the star's health was in imminent danger.

The accused all insist on their innocence.

Vadim Mischanchuk, lawyer of psychiatrist Agustina Cosachov told AFP he was "very optimistic" she would be acquitted, insisting she was in charge of Maradona's mental health only.

Night nurse Ricardo Almiron's lawyer argued his client had had no say in the footballers' care and merely acted according to orders.

In Buenos Aires's La Paternal neighborhood where Maradona was revealed as a prodigious talent while playing for Argentinos Juniors in the 1970s, fans said they were still seeking closure over his death.

"All society needs to know... what really happened, who abandoned him... and whoever is responsible must pay the price," pensioner Hilda Pereira said.