A lawyer for Leopoldo Luque, the doctor charged in connection with the 2020 death of Argentine football legend Diego Maradona, told a court on Wednesday that his client was innocent and had been made a “scapegoat” in the case.
Defence attorney Roberto Rallin rejected prosecutors’ claims that Maradona’s death was foreseeable, while another lawyer representing Luque, Francisco Oneto, argued that the football icon had suffered an “acute and unpredictable” heart attack.
“There was absolutely no possibility of predicting this fatal outcome,” Oneto said.
Prosecutors have requested a 12-year prison sentence for Luque, a neurosurgeon regarded as one of the key figures in Maradona’s medical care at the time of his death.
“We are here to proclaim Luque’s innocence, not with television slogans, but with the evidence that supports it,” Rallin said. “Leopoldo Luque has been the scapegoat.”
Maradona died aged 60 from a cardiorespiratory crisis accompanied by pulmonary oedema. He was found dead in his bed at a rented residence in Tigre, north of Buenos Aires, where he was recovering from surgery for a subdural haematoma.
The death of Argentina’s most celebrated footballer plunged the country into mourning amid the Covid-19 pandemic. Tens of thousands of people defied social-distancing restrictions to pay their respects as his body lay in state at the presidential palace.
Seven healthcare professionals have been on trial since April over alleged negligence in the circumstances surrounding Maradona’s death during his two-week convalescence.
Prosecutors have sought prison sentences ranging from four to 12 years for six of the seven defendants.
In their closing arguments, prosecutors accused Luque of inaction, arguing that he repeatedly failed to respond to warning signs that Maradona was exhibiting.
Disputed medical evidence
Luque’s defence team challenged the findings of an interdisciplinary medical commission established by the court in 2021 to examine the circumstances of Maradona’s death.
The commission, which based its conclusions on the autopsy and other evidence, found that Maradona had a history of heart problems that should have been taken into account in his medical care — a finding prosecutors highlighted during the trial.
However, Luque’s lawyers argued that clinical tests conducted before Maradona’s surgery had revealed no cardiac problems.
“It’s so clear that Maradona didn’t have any heart problems in 2020,” Oneto said during closing arguments.
Throughout the trial, Luque has been one of the most vocal defendants, repeatedly speaking out when he felt he was being implicated in Maradona’s death.
His legal team presented audio recordings, scientific papers and even a video of Maradona’s autopsy, prompting anger from the footballer’s daughters.
“It’s easy to attack me because I’m the one who had the most contact with Maradona,” Luque told the court, adding that “the only one who would defend me would be Diego”.
“I cared deeply for him, I loved him, he was my idol and my friend,” he said.
Meanwhile, Nicolas D’Albora, the defence lawyer for medical coordinator Nancy Forlini, shifted responsibility towards Luque and another doctor, arguing that they “were obliged to guarantee the patient’s health”.
Forlini faces a potential 10-year prison sentence for homicide with eventual intent over allegations that she failed to provide basic medical equipment for Maradona’s home care.
The defence’s closing arguments are expected to continue until Thursday.
AFP
