BUENOS AIRES, Argentina — An Argentine court on Thursday declared a mistrial in the case of seven health professionals accused of negligence in the death of soccer legend Diego Maradona, the latest soap-operatic turn in the trial that has transfixed the soccer world.
As the claims snowballed into a national scandal, Makintach on Tuesday said that she had “no choice” but to resign from the case.
“Judge Makintach did not act impartially.
Her conduct caused harm to both the plaintiffs and the defense,” Judge Maximiliano Savarino said in declaring the mistrial.
Maradona, who famously led Argentina to victory in the 1986 World Cup, is regarded as one of the greatest soccer players of all time.
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina — In the latest dramatic development in the trial that has captivated the soccer world, an Argentine court on Thursday declared a mistrial in the case of seven medical professionals accused of negligence in the death of soccer legend Diego Maradona.
A new trial will take place, the judges decided, but they did not say when.
This change was made after one of the three judges presiding over the trial resigned due to criticism of her involvement in a planned documentary series about the case called “Divine Justice.” The series covered the case from the beginning of the trial until the aftermath of Maradona’s death, when scandals and questions of foul play started to surface.
In an attempt to get the judge, Julieta Makintach, to recuse herself, the prosecutor on Tuesday showed the trailer for her documentary, a one-and-a-half-minute teaser that mixes historical footage of Maradona scoring famous goals with images of Makintach walking down the hallways of the Buenos Aires courthouse wearing a short skirt and high heels while a string score builds tension.
The prosecution requested that judges look into claims that Makintach had transgressed judicial ethics by permitting a camera crew to film her presiding over closed-door hearings for the reality TV-style show inside the courthouse.
Makintach said Tuesday that she had “no choice” but to step down from the case as the allegations gained national attention.
After the trial started on March 11 under heavy media scrutiny and called dozens of distressed witnesses to testify over 21 hearings, the judges decided on Thursday to retry the entire case, essentially reversing all of the proceedings.
“Judge Makintach’s actions were not neutral. Her actions hurt the defense as well as the plaintiffs, Judge Maximiliano Savarino stated when he declared the case mistrial. The recused judge is solely to blame. “.”.
“This is an unpleasant decision,” he added. “.”.
Two of the soccer star’s daughters, Gianinna and Dalma Maradona, started crying at the courthouse.
Originally anticipated to conclude in July, the decision cast doubt on the trial’s timeline. Thursday’s ruling said that a higher court would select the three new judges by lottery “within a reasonable period of time. “”.
In the weeks before his untimely death on November 25, 2020, Maradona’s medical team is accused of failing to provide him with proper care.
While recuperating from brain surgery for a blood clot, Maradona passed away at the age of 60 from cardiac arrest in a rental house outside of Buenos Aires.
Like many aspects of Maradona’s life, including protracted episodes of drug and alcohol abuse, the biweekly testimonies have also turned into tabloid fodder, despite the fact that the case primarily rests on medical technicalities.
Experts have testified that Maradona suffered for twelve hours prior to his demise, and his sisters and daughters have movedly accused his medical staff of abandoning him in a state of destitution when he ought to have been admitted to the hospital.
The defendants were charged with culpable homicide, which is similar to involuntary manslaughter in that it suggests the accused knew the danger posed by their careless actions and chose to ignore it. The defendants deny all of the charges.
Among them are Maradona’s psychologist, psychiatrist, medical coordinator, nurses, and Leopoldo Luque, who was his principal care physician at the time of his passing.
A maximum sentence of 25 years in prison is imposed for this offense. Maradona was a challenging patient who refused to be treated, according to the defendants.
One of the best soccer players of all time, Maradona famously led Argentina to victory in the 1986 World Cup. He is regarded as a national hero by many Argentineans because his story of overcoming adversity to achieve success struck a chord with them.
