The ongoing legal trial examining the 2020 death of Argentine football icon Diego Maradona has been halted temporarily, after defense teams uncovered claims that critical kidney test evidence submitted by prosecutors actually belongs to Maradona’s late father, who shared the same name. This latest development marks the second high-profile disruption to the case, which has gripped global football fans since the sporting legend passed away aged 60, two weeks after undergoing emergency brain surgery to remove a blood clot.
Seven medical professionals are currently standing trial on charges of criminal negligence, accused of failing to provide adequate post-operative care to Maradona during his at-home recovery in a rented property in Tigre, a Buenos Aires suburb. Maradona’s official cause of death was recorded as heart failure and acute pulmonary edema, a dangerous condition that causes fluid to build up in the lungs. All seven defendants have repeatedly denied the allegations against them.
The first attempt to hold this trial was fully annulled in 2023, after 2.5 months of court hearings, when it was revealed that one of the presiding judges had secretly participated in filming a documentary about the Maradona case, creating an unacceptable conflict of interest. A second retrial launched in April 2024, and was approaching its final stages when the new evidence controversy derailed proceedings.
Defense legal teams have alleged that the kidney test results entered into the court record do not belong to the 1986 World Cup-winning captain, but to his father Diego Salustiano Maradona, who passed away in 2015. Defense attorney Agustin Varela, representing accused nurse Nancy Forlini, pointed out that some of the test documents are dated to 2015 – a year when Maradona spent most of his time living in Dubai, and was not present in Argentina to undergo the tests. He died later that year after traveling back to Argentina to be with his ailing father.
Presiding judge Alberto Gaig announced Thursday that the court has adjourned all proceedings until August 27 to allow time for a full investigation into whether the tests match the younger Maradona or another individual. If the defense’s claims are confirmed, the mistake could seriously undermine the credibility of the independent medical commission appointed by the court to assess the circumstances of Maradona’s death. That commission has issued harsh criticism of the level of care the football star received in his final days, and its findings have formed a core part of the prosecution’s case.
Earlier this week, a nephrology specialist testifying for the prosecution told the court that Maradona, who had a long history of cocaine abuse, lived with chronic kidney disease that should have prompted urgent, close monitoring from his care team. The specialist added that standard medical practice would have required daily blood tests to track Maradona’s kidney function during his recovery, but no evidence exists that any blood samples were collected throughout the two weeks he spent at home after surgery.
Prosecutors have pushed back against the defense’s claims, arguing that the alleged documentation error does not threaten the strength of their overall case against the medical workers. “They (the defense) will not succeed in bringing down the trial,” lead prosecutor Patricio Ferrari told reporters Thursday. Even so, a confirmed mix-up would significantly strengthen the defense’s position. Forlini’s legal team has said it has no intention of pushing for another full mistrial, however. “I want this case to end so that my client knows her judicial fate,” said Nicolas D’Albora, another of Forlini’s defense attorneys.