The court hearing the case of the death of footballer Diego Maradona, following the removal of Judge Julieta Makintach, has declared the progress made at the hearings invalid.
After hearing all parties, the court announces its decision to invalidate the proceedings,” said presiding judge Maximiliano Savarino. One of the three judges hearing the case, Julieta Makintach, was found guilty of abuse of office. Along with her, seven people, led by Maradona’s doctor Leopoldo Luque, are charged with causing the death of the world football icon.
If found guilty, they face up to 25 years in prison. Julieta Makintach’s abuse of her position was manifested in the fact that, at the request of her brother, who was associated with one of the video production companies commissioned to film a documentary about the trial, she authorised the installation of a video camera in the courtroom.
In addition, after the hearings, she gave interviews to representatives of the film crew. The violations committed by Judge Makintach were confirmed by police reports. As a result, the judge recused herself, and the court’s leadership decided that under the circumstances, the trial could not continue. Now the hearings (almost 200 witnesses were called in the first trial) will start from the beginning.
Maradona, who was 60, died on November 25, 2020. The Argentine prosecutor’s office said it was because of the negligence of several medical workers who were responsible for the athlete’s health. Diego Maradona Jr. believes that his father was murdered.
