Diego Maradona, 1986 (foto: Getty Images)
Gianinna Maradona testified in court, criticizing Diego Maradona’s medical team as they face up to 25 years in prison over negligence claims.
The trial surrounding the death of Diego Maradona has entered a new phase, with emotional testimony from his daughter Gianinna Maradona.
Speaking in court in San Isidro, she criticized neurosurgeon Leopoldo Luque, who was her father’s personal doctor at the time of his death.
"I heard him say on television that he was not his doctor. That makes me very angry. He does not want to take responsibility," she said.
The case involves seven medical professionals accused of negligence in the weeks leading up to Maradona’s death in 2020.
The defendants face charges that could lead to 8 to 25 years in prison if convicted of premeditated homicide.
The trial had already faced delays. A previous process was declared invalid after judge Julieta Makintach stepped down amid controversy linked to a documentary about the case.
According to prosecutors, the medical team failed to provide adequate care while Maradona was recovering at home after surgery for a brain blood clot.
The football icon died on November 25, 2020, at the age of 60, from cardiac arrest at his home in Tigre, near Buenos Aires.
Gianinna also pointed to other members of the medical team, including psychiatrist Agustina Cosachov and psychologist Carlos Díaz.
"I trusted those people. They manipulated us and left him alone while his condition got worse every day," she said.
The defense has pushed back. Lawyers for Luque argue that Maradona’s daughters, including Dalma Maradona, did not act quickly enough as his health declined.
The case continues to draw attention across Argentina and the wider football world, as it seeks answers over the final days of one of the sport’s greatest figures.