Defendants shift blame in Maradona death case — Buenos Aires Times

At the San Isidro court in Argentina, the defendants in the case concerning the death of footballer Diego Maradona have begun shifting responsibility onto one another for shortcomings in the organization of his home hospitalization. As Buenos Aires Times reports, since April the court has been determining whether the conditions of Maradona’s stay at home after brain surgery were adequate. In 2020, he died at the age of 60 from cardiac arrest and pulmonary edema.

Statements by the defendants

Home care coordinator Nancy Forlini is accused of failing to provide the necessary equipment and staff. She said she is accused of inaction regarding matters she was never asked about and placed responsibility on psychiatrist Agustina Cosachov and neurosurgeon Leopoldo Luque. According to Forlini, they made all the decisions.

Luque denied that he had managed the footballer’s home hospitalization. He said he only monitored Maradona’s recovery after neurosurgery for a subdural hematoma, performed on November 3, 2020 — 22 days before the athlete’s death. Luque also stated that clinical care was supposed to be provided by Pedro Di Spagna.

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Charges and hearing schedule

Di Spagna, for his part, denied that he was the doctor responsible for Maradona’s clinical care. He said that during his last two attempts to examine the patient, he was unable to gain access to him, and on November 18 he was asked to leave the house in Tigre where the footballer was recovering.

Cosachov acknowledged that problems arose after Maradona left the Olivos clinic, where he underwent surgery. She said that she had requested the involvement of a clinician and pointed to misunderstandings with the medical insurer and Forlini.

Seven medical workers deny guilt. They are charged with homicide under the legal category of dolo eventual, which is applied when defendants, according to investigators, were aware that their actions or inaction could lead to death. They could face up to 25 years in prison. Court hearings are set to begin on October 8 and continue for six sessions through October 22.