By TheDailyNewsHub Reporter
Members of Diego Maradona’s family have taken different positions on the prison sentences sought for members of the medical team accused of failing to provide adequate care before the Argentine football legend’s death, as closing arguments continue in the trial in Buenos Aires.
Lawyers representing two of Maradona’s daughters, Dalma and Gianinna, called for six of the seven defendants to receive prison terms of up to 15 years, accusing them of responsibility for the former Argentina captain’s death in November 2020.
Their lawyer, Fernando Burlando, told the court on Wednesday that the defendants had shown what he described as “brutal indifference” towards Maradona’s condition. He accused the medical team of effectively killing the football icon, who died aged 60 while recovering from brain surgery.
However, other members of the family have sought different penalties, reflecting disagreements over the degree of responsibility attributed to individual members of the medical team.
Lawyers representing three of Maradona’s sisters called for prison sentences of up to 10 years for five defendants, with their counsel, Pablo Jurado, arguing that medical coordinator Nancy Forlini should receive the harshest punishment among those targeted in their submissions.
A lawyer representing Maradona’s youngest son, Diego Fernando, had also called for 16-year prison terms for the former footballer’s personal physician, Leopoldo Luque, and Forlini.
The differing requests come as the court considers whether members of Maradona’s medical team should be held criminally responsible for his death. The seven professionals on trial include doctors, a psychiatrist, a psychologist and nurses who were involved in his treatment.
Maradona died on November 25, 2020, from heart failure and acute pulmonary oedema while recuperating at a private residence near Buenos Aires. He had undergone surgery to remove a blood clot from his brain about two weeks earlier.
Prosecutors allege that his medical care during the final days of his life was seriously inadequate and that those responsible failed to take appropriate action as his health deteriorated. The defendants deny the charges.
The prosecution began presenting its closing arguments in October, requesting convictions for six of the seven accused and prison sentences ranging from four to 12 years. Prosecutors have sought the longest term for Luque, whom they consider to have played a central role in Maradona’s care.
The positions taken by the family’s legal representatives have not been identical. In a separate submission, a lawyer for another daughter, Jana Maradona, asked the court to acquit psychologist Carlos Díaz, arguing that he did not have the authority to make clinical decisions about Maradona’s treatment. The lawyer also sought the acquittal of physician Pedro Di Spagna and called for investigations into four other people who are not defendants in the current trial.
Those requests illustrate the distinction between seeking accountability for the care Maradona received and determining which individuals, if any, should face criminal punishment.
The current proceedings are a retrial. An earlier trial was annulled in 2025 after a judge resigned amid a controversy over her involvement in a documentary about the case, forcing the proceedings to begin again.
Closing arguments are expected to continue until the end of October. The court in San Isidro, a suburb of Buenos Aires, is expected to issue its judgment at a later date.
Until the judges reach a decision, the allegations against the medical professionals remain unproven in court.