Leopoldo Luque, testifying for the first time in the proceedings, defends the theory of natural death.
Diego Maradona’s personal physician testified in court on Thursday that he is innocent in the trial concerning the death of the former Argentine international footballer in 2020.
I am innocent and I deeply regret his death, assured neurosurgeon Leopoldo Luque, testifying in the San Isidro court, where the seven members of the accused medical team (doctor, psychiatrist, psychologist, and nurses) are being tried, ten months after a first trial was interrupted. This is the first time Leopoldo Luque has testified in the case.
The seven healthcare professionals are being charged with manslaughter with implied malice, meaning they committed negligent acts knowing they could lead to death. This type of crime can be punished with eight to 25 years in prison.
Everyone denies responsibility for Maradona’s death, essentially shielding themselves behind their specific role and even shifting responsibility to others.
Luque spoke for about 30 minutes and defended, like other defendants, the theory of natural causes for Maradona’s death, who died at age 60 from a cardiorespiratory crisis associated with pulmonary edema, while convalescing after uncomplicated neurosurgery for a hematoma in his head.
The autopsy revealed a diagnosis of chronic heart failure with dilated cardiomyopathy, which decompensated and worsened due to lack of treatment, Luque stated, citing the experts. Heart failure “associated with toxic substances, he emphasized.
Luque was identified by several witnesses in the first trial as one of the key decision-makers in the group linked to Maradona. The doctor recalled that he was not the one who operated on the former footballer for the hematoma on his head and that he was not his doctor in 2007, when he stopped receiving cardiac treatment.
Luque also distanced himself from home hospitalization, a decision made by the medical team and family. Regarding that, I explicitly stated that I am a neurosurgeon, not a general practitioner, psychiatrist, or psychologist.
This process, with two hearings scheduled per week, is expected to last for three weeks.