A sad, devastating resolution appears to be coming to fruition in the case of Diego Maradona and his passing. Maradona passed away on November 25, 2020, with the cause of death being relatively unknown until now. It was finally revealed this past week that seven medical professionals have been charged with “simple homicide with eventual intent” in his death. The matter is considered so serious, that the prosecutors’ office in San Isidro, Argentina, have requested to the judge that those individuals indicted not be permitted to leave the country.
This prosecutor’s office opened an investigation into the Argentine legend’s death, because foul play was suspected due to leaked audio of private conversations between doctors and people from Maradona’s entourage. This audio was leaked to various members of the media and have indicated that Maradona was not being properly looked after prior to his death. If these individuals are found guilty, those accused could face between eight to 25 years in prison. Among those being formally accused of foul play is Leopoldo Luque, the neurosurgeon who performed a successful brain operation on Maradona, and psychiatrist Agustina Cosachov, who treated the former Napoli star. Two nurses, a nurse coordinator, a doctor and a psychologist are also among the charged. Among the seven individuals charged, only the two have denied any wrongdoing.
Maradona’s family has been incredibly perturbed by the news, and demand justice. They hold Luque among those responsible for his death. The next steps in this horrible case are going to be conducted by a medical board. They’ll review evidence of culpable homicide from Maradona’s medical team. The board revealed in a report that the medical team who attended Maradona prior to his death acted in an “inappropriate, deficient and reckless manner” and left him “to his own devices.” Maradona’s autopsy determined that Maradona died in his sleep of acute pulmonary edema, a buildup of fluid in the lungs, because of congestive heart failure. The toxicology report detected no alcohol or illegal substances, but psychotropic drugs used to treat anxiety and depression were present. The accused will begin to testify from May 31.
