Criminal trial over Maradona death set for Oct. 1

A criminal court in Argentina has postponed to Oct. 1 the start of a trial in a criminal negligence case brought against eight people allegedly involved in the death of football legend Diego Maradona.

The trial was set to start on June 4, but the criminal court in San Isidro, on the outskirts of Buenos Aires, said in a decision published by local media Tuesday night that “several questions have been raised” by all parts involved in the homicide case, adding that “at this date they are still to be resolved.”

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The court did not elaborate further on its decision.

The 1986 World Cup winner died at age 60 on Nov. 25, 2020 due to a cardiorespiratory arrest.

The investigation started by request of members of Maradona’s family days after his death. The eight people on trial, including doctors and nurses, are accused of being responsible for the death of the legendary footballer, who was being treated at a rented home after a surgery to extract a bleeding in his brain.

The defendants have denied any violations or irregularities in Maradona’s treatment.

Among the questions yet to be answered is whether the defendants will be tried by the three magistrates of the court or by a popular jury, as one of the accused nurses requested. More than 200 witnesses are expected to speak during the trial, including Maradona’s daughters and some of his former partners.

A medical report concluded that Maradona suffered from cardiac insufficiency and agonised for up to 12 hours. The document added that the former footballer did not receive adequate treatment for a patient in his condition.