Seven people who were on Diego Maradona’s medical team have been arrested and charged with homicide in connection to his death, ESPN reports.
The legendary Argentinian soccer player passed away in November after suffering a heart attack at the age of 60. But the circumstances surrounding his death led to an investigation by prosecutors in San Isidro, Argentina, which involved police raiding the home and clinic of Dr. Leopoldo Luque, the surgeon who operated on Maradona’s brain after his heart attack.
The seven medical professionals could face eight to 25 years in prison if convicted, and are currently banned from leaving the country. A medical board investigation found that the team behaved in an “inappropriate, deficient, and reckless manner.” A motive for the crime hasn’t been revealed.
Maradona underwent brain surgery just two weeks before succumbing to heart failure, leading investigators to believe that his health team wasn’t taking proper care of him. A source from the San Isidro Attorney General’s Office told Agence France-Presse that his team ignored “signs of life risk” and abandoned Maradona for a “prolonged, agonizing period” before his death.
Luque, who surgically removed a blood clot from Maradona’s brain, has been charged, as has psychiatrist Agustina Cosachov and psychologist Carlos Diaz. Additionally, nurses Ricardo Omar Almiron and Dahiana Gisela Madrid, nursing team coordinator Mariano Perroni, and doctor Nancy Forlini have been charged.
Two of Maradona’s five daughters filed the complaint against Luque, who they claim is responsible for the decline of their father’s health after the brain surgery. Luque has said that he’s become a “scapegoat” for Maradona’s death and that he made “no medical error.”
“You want to know what I am responsible for? For having loved him, for having taken care of him, for having extended his life, for having improved it to the end,” he added.
Testimonies are set to begin on May 31.
