Who Was Responsible for Maradona's Death Will Be Known on December 22 After Six-Month Trial Ends

A court will deliver its verdict on December 22 in the medical negligence case over the death of Argentine football legend Diego Maradona. After a six-month trial, hearings against seven health workers ended on Thursday.

On the final day of the trial, Maradona's daughter Dalma Maradona and several defendants spoke in court. In an emotional voice, Dalma said she hoped her father would get the justice he deserved, that like everyone else he too was worthy of justice.

The main defendant, Maradona's personal doctor Leopoldo Luque, claimed he was innocent. In court he said only, 'I am innocent.'

Maradona died on November 25, 2020, at the age of 60. He died from cardiac arrest and fluid accumulating in his lungs.

After a small operation on his brain, he was staying in a rented house in the Tigre area north of Buenos Aires to recover. His lifeless body was found in bed there.

More than 70 witnesses testified in the trial, which began in April. Prosecutors have sought prison terms of four to 12 years for six of the seven defendants, with the highest, 12 years, sought for Luque.

The prosecution alleges that, without considering Maradona's physical condition, he was allowed to recover in a private home instead of being kept in hospital. Necessary medical equipment was almost completely absent there, it is alleged.

According to prosecutors, there was no hospital-grade bed, no defibrillator, and no arrangement for an ambulance that could arrive quickly.

Several medical experts who testified in the case claimed that those responsible for Maradona's care before his death did not properly take his serious physical problems into account.

According to them, fluid had accumulated in his body, his heartbeat had become abnormally fast, and he was having difficulty breathing. Even after those symptoms appeared, proper measures were not taken, it is alleged.

The six-month trial has drawn wide attention in Argentina, because Maradona is not just a footballer there but a name of deep emotion. The answer to who was responsible for his death now depends on the court's verdict.

With the verdict due on December 22, it will become clear how the court views the negligence allegations against the seven health workers and, if anyone is convicted, what punishment they will face.