Maradona death trial: proceedings once again at risk over witness evidence

A tense hearing on Tuesday put the trial over the death of Argentine football icon Diego Maradona at risk of yet another setback, as prosecutors and defense lawyers agreed that evidence presented by one of the witnesses should be excluded to avoid the possibility of a new mistrial. The dispute centered on the testimony and evidence submitted by medical examiner Mariana Flichman, who prepared Maradona’s discharge paperwork from the Olivos Clinic. Prosecutor Patricio Ferrari told the judge he and his team were “previously unaware” that Flichman had written the document.  It also emerged that Flichman had served both as a “patient risk and claims manager” at Swiss Medical, Maradona’s healthcare provider, and as an expert witness for defendant Nancy Forlini, a coordinator at the medical services company, during the medical board proceedings that determined the cause of Maradona’s death. Ferrari asked the court to exclude Flichman’s report from the case file, arguing that the newly disclosed details of her employment relationship with the healthcare provider called her impartiality into question and could have biased her findings. He added that, had those ties been known earlier in the investigation, Flichman herself “could have been charged in this case.” Several defense attorneys backed Ferrari’s request, including Vadim Mischanchuk, who represents psychiatrist Agustina Cosachov. Mischanchuk described the revelations surrounding Flichman as “a warning sign of a possible mistrial.” The judges decided to postpone the decision until “a later time.” The original trial into Maradona’s death was declared null and void after it emerged that Judge Julieta Makintach had authorized cameras to enter the courtroom to film an unauthorized documentary about the proceedings. Luque ‘broke down’ during Maradona surgery Tuesday’s key witness was neurosurgeon Rodolfo Benvenutti, who oversaw Maradona’s surgery at the request of the late football star’s friend and lawyer, Víctor Stinfale. Benvenutti testified that when he first contacted Leopoldo Luque, Maradona’s chief medical advisor, Luque told him he intended to perform the operation himself, describing it as “the biggest opportunity of his life.” “I told him he wasn’t in the right frame of mind to perform the surgery. It was clear he was affected by the situation. Stinfale later spoke with him, and he understood,” Benvenutti said. The neurosurgeon went on to testify that Luque broke down during the operation, saying he appeared “deeply affected by the situation” and that “the stress got the better of him.” Benvenutti also testified that he had recommended placing Maradona under strict medical supervision following the surgery, including round-the-clock nursing care and regular medical checkups. “If all the necessary resources weren’t in place at the house, the intervention should not have gone ahead,” he said. “If those resources aren’t there, the intervention is incomplete,” he said, referring to the home care recovery setup Maradona was put under after the surgery, where he died just 22 days later, which has been greatly criticized for lacking the necessary equipment and personnel. Cover picture: Maradona at Boca Juniors Stadium (Credit: Agustín Marcarian/Reuters)