Maradona trial judge withdraws amid TV documentary controversy

Published on 28/05/2025 - 12:52 GMT+2

One of nan 3 Argentinian judges overseeing nan proceedings of 7 wellness professionals accused of negligence successful Diego Armando Maradona's decease has withdrawn from nan proceedings amid contention complete her engagement successful a documentary bid astir nan case.

Julieta Makintach stepped down aft footage emerged of nan Divine Justice TV bid that spans nan first moments aft nan shot superstar died successful 2020 to nan commencement of nan proceedings much than 2 months ago, successful which nan judge appears arsenic 1 of its lead characters.

Prosecutors played a trailer for nan documentary successful tribunal connected Tuesday, pinch charismatic Patricio Ferrari accusing Makintach of behaving "like an character and not a judge".

Makintach told nan San Isidro tribunal she had "no choice" but to recuse herself. The proceedings — which began connected 11 March — has been adjourned until Thursday. The tribunal will determine whether nan proceedings tin proceed pinch a caller judge aliases if it must alternatively beryllium restarted.

Medical negligence proceedings to continue

Maradona — who led Argentina to nan World Cup successful 1986 — died of a bosom onslaught connected 25 November 2020 while undergoing location hospitalisation connected nan outskirts of Buenos Aires, days aft having room connected a encephalon humor clot. He was 60.

Seven members of his aesculapian squad are connected proceedings pursuing an investigation for allegedly failing to supply capable attraction while Maradona was astatine home, and could look up to 25 years successful situation if convicted.

Prosecutors allege his decease could person been avoided and person described nan attraction fixed to Maradona arsenic "reckless, deficient and unprecedented".

In July, an eighth personnel of nan aesculapian squad will look a abstracted proceedings by jury.

Earlier this month, nan lawyer representing Leopoldo Luque, Maradona's superior expert astatine nan clip of his decease and 1 of nan main defendants, had requested Makintach's removal from nan trial, arguing that nan judge had demonstrated a deficiency of impartiality.

Luque's lawyer, Julio Rivas, said he had been contacted by British broadcaster BBC requesting an question and reply because they were making a documentary astir nan trial.

Court rules successful Argentina prohibit unauthorised filming.

Widely perceived arsenic 1 of football's top players, Maradona inspired his compatriots pinch a rags-to-riches communicative that vaulted him from poorness successful nan hardscrabble outskirts of Buenos Aires to world reverence.

In Italy's confederate metropolis of Naples, he had endeared himself to nan section fans of SSC Napoli, who venerate him arsenic a saint to this day.

However, Maradona had publically struggled pinch supplier addiction, obesity and alcoholism for decades and reportedly came adjacent to decease successful 2000 and 2004.