The trial of seven health professionals accused of negligence in the death of Diego Maradona was suspended for a week on Tuesday after one of the judges was accused of being partial and authorising a documentary about the hearings.
Prosecutor Patricio Ferrari made the request for a suspension and the trial will be halted until May 27 while the court reviews judge Julieta Makintach’s role in allegedly allowing a documentary to be filmed during the trial. Makintach is one of three judges hearing the case and has denied any wrongdoing, but Ferrari argued that “the situation compromises the prestige of the judiciary”.
The attorneys representing Maradona’s family had joined the prosecutor’s request for a suspension. The lawyer for two of the former soccer player’s daughters, Fernando Burlando, said the temporary halt would bring about “serenity, thoroughness and the continuation of the process”.
Last week, the lawyer representing Leopoldo Luque, Maradona’s primary physician at the time of his death and one of the main defendants, had requested Makintach’s removal from the trial, arguing that the judge had demonstrated lack of impartiality in the proceedings.
Luque’s lawyer Julio Rivas said he had been contacted by British broadcaster BBC, requesting an interview because they were making a documentary about the trial.
He added that he had received information that the production company involved in the documentary was associated with Juan Makintach, the judge’s brother. The police said they saw a camera in the courtroom on Friday, and a courtroom official said its presence was approved by Makintach.
Maradona, who led Argentina to the World Cup title in 1986, died on November 25, 2020 while undergoing home hospitalisation on the outskirts of Buenos Aires, days after undergoing surgery for a haematoma that formed between his skull and brain. He was 60.
Seven healthcare professionals are on trial for failing to provide adequate care and could face a maximum penalty of 25 years in prison.
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