Diego Maradona's eldest daughter, Dalma Maradona, tearfully testified in court that her father's death was a preventable tragedy caused by the negligence of his medical team. As the trial for the alleged manslaughter of the Argentine football legend, who died on November 25, 2020, in Dique Luján, Buenos Aires province, from pulmonary edema due to heart failure, proceeds in San Isidro, Argentina, Dalma Maradona took the stand as a witness on the 16th (local time) and made this assertion.

According to AFP news agency, Dalma Maradona, referring to the defendants present in court – head physician Leopoldo Luque, psychiatrist Agustina Cosachov, and psychologist Carlos Díaz – sobbed, "If they had done their jobs properly, this would not have happened." She further expressed her anger, adding, "They deceived us in the most cruel way."

Maradona passed away while convalescing at home after brain surgery, and an autopsy revealed that pulmonary edema due to heart failure was the direct cause of death. Prosecutors have charged the medical team in charge with negligent homicide, alleging that they were aware of the possibility of the patient's death but failed to provide the necessary medical care, leading to his demise. If convicted, the defendants could face sentences ranging from 8 to 25 years in prison. A nurse will be tried separately.

In her testimony, Dalma Maradona stated that head physician Luque had assured the family that home care after the brain surgery was the "only option" and promised "the same level of care as a hospital," including 24-hour medical support, an ambulance, and medical equipment. However, she testified that it was merely "a house where a doctor would visit from time to time," and even described the house as "a mess and reeking of urine."

Recalling the time of her father's death, Dalma broke down in tears, saying, "I rushed in, thinking my father would wake up." She also testified that her father had heart problems after recovering from cocaine addiction, and that alcohol and drug use had negatively impacted his health. Regarding her father's condition shortly before his death, she added, "He no longer smiled and would sometimes lose his mind." She claimed that when the family raised concerns with the medical team, they dismissed it, saying that only the daughters felt that way and that her father was fine.

Dalma testified that she had tried to visit her father a few days before his death, but was prevented by those around him, including Maradona's lawyer and representative Matías Morla and his secretary Maximiliano Pomargo, asserting, "They isolated my father and wanted him to be alone."

Meanwhile, Víctor Stinfale, a longtime friend and legal advisor of Maradona who also testified that day, stated that he attended a meeting where the family and medical team decided on home care, and emphasized at the time that "no alcohol should enter the house." He strongly criticized the medical team's negligence, saying, "They only cared about Diego's addiction and not his heart," and "It's impossible that they didn't go in to check his heart rate and whether his body was swollen." Stinfale also testified that at the meeting, Dr. Rodolfo Benvenuti stressed the need for necessary medical support, including an ambulance, but "none of what was discussed at the meeting was followed." He added that head physician Luque was a friend of Maradona and acted as an intermediary for other doctors' treatments, but in the final moments, "everyone was an employee, so it would have been difficult for them to say 'no' to Maradona."

The trial adjourned at 6:50 PM (GMT 21:50) that day and is scheduled to resume next Tuesday. The prosecution has not yet disclosed the identity of the next witness. The legal battle to uncover the truth surrounding Maradona's death is expected to continue.

[Copyright (c) Global Economic Times. All Rights Reserved.]