New trial over Maradona's death begins in Argentina

San Isidro: A new trial over the death of Argentine football legend Diego Maradona begins Tuesday a year after a scandal involving a judge caused the first trial to collapse.

Maradona, considered one of the world's greatest players ever, died in November 2020 at the age of 60 while recovering from brain surgery at a private residence.

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He died of heart failure and acute pulmonary edema - a condition where fluid accumulates in the lungs - two weeks after going under the knife.

His seven-person medical team were indicted over the conditions of his convalescence in the northern Buenos Aires suburb of Tigre, described by prosecutors as grossly negligent.

But two and a half months into their trial, after hours of sometimes tearful testimony from witnesses, including Maradona's children, the proceedings came to a halt.

The trial was annulled in May 2025 after it emerged that one of the judges overseeing the trial was involved in a documentary about the case, potentially breaking ethics rules.

The judge, Julieta Makintach, was later impeached.

The new trial, which will hear from some 120 witnesses, will again seek to determine if Maradona's medical team is responsible for his death.

Seven health care professionals - doctors, psychologists, and nurses - who were treating him at the time of his death are accused of homicide with possible intent - pursuing a course of action despite knowing it could lead to death.

They risk prison terms of between eight and 25 years if convicted.

The defense maintains the larger-than-life Maradona, who battled cocaine and alcohol addictions, died of natural causes.

"If there's one thing that has been ruled out, it's a malicious criminal plan to kill Maradona. Anyone who continues to maintain that is cruel to the family and the accused," Vadim Mischanchuk, lawyer for psychiatrist Agustina Cosachov, told Radio Con Vos on Sunday.

News of the death of the 1986 World Cup champion brought hundreds of thousands of Argentines onto the streets in mourning in the midst of the Covid pandemic.

The trial is expected to last until July.