A retrial into the death of the football legend Diego Maradona began on Tuesday, a year after the first case collapsed in a mistrial.
Seven members of his medical team are charged with negligent homicide after he died from a heart attack at the age of 60. They have denied the allegations. If convicted, they face between eight and 25 years in prison.
The first trial collapsed last May when one of its three judges resigned after allegedly allowing unauthorized filming in court for a documentary.
Maradona died in 2020 at his home in Tigre, Buenos Aires province, while recuperating from surgery to remove a brain blood clot.
Investigators classified the case as culpable homicide - a crime similar to involuntary manslaughter - because they said the accused were aware of the seriousness of Maradona's health condition but did not take the necessary measures to save him.
The heart failure caused him to suffer acute pulmonary edema, as confirmed by the preliminary autopsy.
A panel of medical experts, asked by prosecutors to investigate Maradona's medical team, stated that the treatment he received at his home was deficient and reckless. It concluded that the footballer would have had a better chance of survival with adequate treatment in an appropriate medical facility.
The seven people on trial include his main medical adviser, Leopoldo Luque, and psychiatrist Agustina Cosachov. His former nurse, Dahiana Gisela Madrid, will stand in a separate trial.
Around 100 people are set to testify in front of a new set of judges at a court in San Isidro, including Maradona's daughters. The trial is expected to last until July.
When the footballer died on 25 November 2020, then President of Argentina Alberto Fernandez declared three days of national mourning, stating, Thank you for having existed, Diego. We're going to miss you all our lives.
Maradona started his career with Argentinos Juniors, representing Argentina in four World Cups and scoring 34 goals, including the infamous 'Hand of God' goal against England in 1986. He struggled with cocaine addiction later in his career and retired in 1997 on his 37th birthday. He was the head coach of Argentina's national team in 2008 and managed various teams until his death.
