Argentina: Maradona's death trial annulled after controversial documentary starring one of the judges
Judge Julieta Makintach was accused of participating in a documentary about the judicial process, with forbidden images of the interior of the court. "This was a reality show," a prosecutor in the case shouted at her.
Protest outside the court
Clean slate. It took only a week for the trial for the death of soccer player Diego Armando Maradona to collapse, after more than 40 testimonies in two months of proceedings. The court annulled the process as a result of a controversial documentary of the judge in charge, who hours before had been suspended for 90 days.
The scandal was unleashed over the weekend when the existence of a documentary with exclusive images of the courtroom was revealed, despite the fact that access to cameras is prohibited and that neither prosecutors nor defense lawyers had been informed.
Julieta Makintach, the "god judge," as she was baptized by the local press alluding to Maradona's nickname "d10s" (a play on dios, which means god in Spanish), first denied the accusations, assuring that she would continue at the head of the judicial process and claiming there was a "grand media operation" to remove her. "I am not going to excuse myself, I did nothing irregular." Later, however, she was removed by her colleagues.
Both sides of the bench lambasted Makintach. "This was a reality show, overacting by Dr. Makintach who at all times officiated as an actress and not as a judge," said prosecutor Patricio Ferrari.
"There was a person who made a mistake and will have to continue giving explanations, but it is not justice," said Judge Veronica Di Tommaso, one of those who decided the nullity of the trial. "Justice is not stained," she added, alluding to the iconic phrase of the Argentine star "the ball is not stained."
'Divine Justice'
Images and scripts of the series seized in raids were used to decide the mistrial, which will now be drawn to a new court. The trailer for the series, which was to be called "Divine Justice," was leaked to the press:
Seven defendants
The 60-year-old former soccer player died of pulmonary edema at his home following a head operation he had undergone weeks earlier for a hematoma.
Seven health professionals are charged with manslaughter with malice aforethought for his death and face eight to 25 years in prison.
Throughout the trial, witnesses stated that the house where Maradona died did not have adequate conditions to care for him and that the care he received from the medical team in charge had been questioned by the family.
An eighth nurse will be prosecuted in a separate trial.
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