Maradona Death Trial Restarts After Scandal Forced Full Reset

The Maradona death trial begins again on Tuesday in Argentina, more than five years after the football legend died at age 60 and nearly a year after a judicial scandal forced the entire first proceeding to be thrown out. A new three-judge bench at the San Isidro criminal court will hear the case from the beginning, with approximately 100 witnesses expected to testify.

The Rio Times, the Latin American financial news outlet, reports that seven members of Maradona’s medical team face charges of “homicidio con dolo eventual” — equivalent to homicide with eventual intent — for the conditions surrounding his death on November 25, 2020. Prosecutors allege the team knew his life was at risk yet continued what investigators described as “calamitous, reckless, and deficient” care. If convicted, they face between 8 and 25 years in prison.

Why the Maradona Death Trial Restarted

The first trial began in March 2025 and ran for over two months before collapsing in May. Judge Julieta Makintach, one of three presiding magistrates, was discovered to have participated in an unauthorized documentary about the proceedings — appearing in courthouse corridors and her chambers in violation of recording prohibitions.

Makintach was suspended and the other two judges subsequently resigned. The court declared all proceedings null, wiping out testimony from Maradona‘s daughters, his ex-wife Claudia Villafañe, forensic experts, and dozens of other witnesses. A new bench was appointed in July 2025 and set the retrial for this week.

The Case Against the Medical Team

Maradona died of cardiac and respiratory arrest while recovering at a rented house in a Buenos Aires suburb, two weeks after surgery to remove a brain blood clot. A 2021 medical board concluded his care was “inadequate, deficient, and reckless,” criticizing the home-care arrangement and the absence of basic equipment like defibrillators.

Prosecutors have cited text messages in which team members wrote “he’s going to die” yet failed to intervene. They allege Maradona suffered for over 12 hours before his fatal heart attack. The seven defendants are psychiatrist Agustina Cosachov, neurosurgeon Leopoldo Luque, psychologist Carlos Ángel Díaz, physician Nancy Edith Forlini, nurse Ricardo Almirón, head nurse Mariano Ariel Perroni, and physician Pedro Pablo Di Spagna.

The Challenge of Starting Over

The retrial presents a strategic problem for both sides. Photos, videos, audio recordings, chat logs, and forensic evidence that were already presented in the annulled trial must be reintroduced — but both prosecution and defense have already shown their hand. An eighth defendant, nurse Dahiana Madrid, will face a separate jury trial at a date yet to be determined.

For Argentina, the trial is more than a legal proceeding. Maradona remains revered as the flawed genius who led the country to the 1986 World Cup — immortalized in murals, tattoos, and a quasi-religious devotion that has only intensified since his death. Fans outside the San Isidro courthouse have carried signs reading “Justice for D10S.” Five and a half years later, they are still waiting.