Gambiaj.com – (BUENOS AIRES, Argentina) – A tense courtroom hearing in Argentina on Thursday saw a dramatic shift in the ongoing trial over the death of football icon Diego Maradona, after the main defendant unexpectedly took the stand and forcefully denied responsibility.
Proceedings at the 7th Criminal Court in San Isidro were initially set to hear testimony from Giannina Maradona, one of the late star’s daughters. However, the session took an abrupt turn when neurosurgeon Leopoldo Luque, Maradona’s primary medical adviser and a central figure among the accused, requested to testify instead.
Despite objections from prosecutors and Giannina herself, judges Alberto Ortolani, Alberto Gaig, and Pablo Rolón granted Luque permission to speak, effectively reshaping the direction of the hearing. Giannina later reacted angrily on social media, posting a message questioning Luque’s motives.
Taking the stand, Luque denied all charges and distanced himself from overall responsibility for Maradona’s care. “I explicitly said that I was a neurosurgeon, not a clinician or psychologist,” he told the court, insisting he was “not in charge” of the football legend’s health.
His testimony centered on challenging the prosecution’s medical narrative. Citing autopsy findings, Luque argued that Maradona’s death resulted from chronic heart failure exacerbated by a lack of long-term cardiological care, treatment he said predated his involvement. He pointed to the late physician Alfredo Cahe as having overseen Maradona’s earlier medical management.
Luque also rejected claims that Maradona endured prolonged suffering before his death in November 2020. Contrary to expert findings presented by a panel of ten court-appointed specialists, who concluded that Maradona showed signs of distress for at least 12 hours before his death, Luque insisted: “I am absolutely certain that he did not suffer any prolonged agony.”
He further disputed the interpretation of pulmonary edema, officially cited as the immediate cause of death, arguing it resulted from extended resuscitation efforts rather than a drawn-out decline. “The patient had CPR performed for at least an hour… they did CPR on a corpse,” he said, adding that medical staff acted at the family’s request.
During the hearing, prosecutors introduced WhatsApp audio messages between Luque and Maradona’s private secretary, suggesting attempts to influence the footballer’s daughters to approve home-based care instead of hospitalization.
The decision to allow Maradona to recover at his residence in Tigre remains a central issue in determining whether negligence contributed to his death.
Luque also offered a personal account of his relationship with Maradona, describing him as both “hero and friend,” while acknowledging the former player’s struggles with alcohol and family tensions.
Eight medical professionals are on trial, including psychiatrist Agustina Cosachov and psychologist Carlos Díaz, all accused of failing to provide adequate care.
Thursday’s hearing marks a critical moment in the retrial, which resumed after an earlier proceeding was declared a mistrial in May 2025.
The case continues to scrutinize whether systemic medical failures and questionable decisions in Maradona’s final days amounted to criminal negligence in the death of one of football’s most revered figures.
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