Argentina: Trial begins for the death of Diego Maradona

The trial against the eight health professionals accused of simple homicide with malice aforethought in connection with the death of Diego Armando Maradona began Tuesday in Argentina. It will be one of the most followed trials of the year and is expected to conclude in July.

The group of defendants, made up of neurosurgeon Leopoldo Luciano Luque, psychiatrist Agustina Cosachov, psychologist Carlos Angel Diaz, coordinating physician Nancy Forlini, nursing coordinator Mariano Perroni, clinician Pedro Pablo Di Spagna and nurse Ricardo Omar Almiron, face a maximum prison sentence of 25 years.

An eighth person implicated, nurse Dahiana Gisela Madrid, will be tried separately at the request of her defense, with a different indictment from the rest.

Early Tuesday, dozens of supporters gathered outside the San Isidro courthouse, located on the outskirts of the Argentine capital of Buenos Aires. Maradona's eldest daughters, Dalma and Gianinna, along with Verónica Ojeda, the former soccer star's ex-partner, were the first to arrive and avoided giving statements to the media present at the site.

One person who did speak was Mario Baudry, Ojeda's lawyer, who assured to have "100,000 audio recordings" that corroborate the guilt of the accused.

During the estimated four months of the trial, around 120 witnesses, including Maradona's relatives and experts, will testify after being summoned by the investigating judges of the case: Maximiliano Savarino, Verónica Di Tommaso and Julieta Makintach.

Maradona died of "secondary acute pulmonary edema and aggravated chronic heart failure" on Nov. 25, 2020 at his home located in Tigre, north of Buenos Aires. Shortly before his death, he underwent surgery on his brain for a hematoma.