Maradona case judge gives final statement in impeachment trial: I longer want to be part of the judiciary

Julieta Makintach, the judge accused of authorizing the covert filming of a documentary of Diego Maradona’s death trial, will have to wait until Tuesday for the verdict on her impeachment trial. At Thursday’s hearing, both parties gave final statements following testimony from the last remaining witnesses.  Prosecutor Analía Duarte claimed Makintach “lied, pushed, and abused her power” to get the parties to agree to the filming. She also added that Makintach had “carried out actions incompatible with her role in the judiciary” while part of the court that was set to rule on Maradona’s death trial. “She used state resources to promote a project for her own benefit and to the detriment of the judiciary,” Duarte said, calling for Makintach’s removal from her position. “I apologize, without hesitation”  Makintach was also granted a say in the final day of hearings, where she reiterated many of the claims she had made. “I apologize, without hesitation,” Makintach said in her final address to the court, adding that she “no longer wished to be part of the judiciary.” The judge insisted the filming “wasn’t concealed” from other members of the court and that while she was “mistaken” to agree to participate, she committed “no crimes, no irregularities.” Makintach’s lawyer Darío Saldaño insisted the judge had received no guarantees for her participation in the documentary. He went on to claim that her involvement came “at the request of a friend” and asked that his client be acquitted and her resignation accepted. The difference between resigning and being barred as a judge is significant. If she is allowed to resign, Mackintach would be allowed to take another position in the judiciary later on if she were to be approved. Regardless of the decision, she also won’t be able to retire for now, as holding an active position as a judge is required. You may also be interested in: Chronology of a mistrial: Why did Diego Maradona’s death trial fall apart? The case over Diego Maradona’s death After several delays, the first trial in the case over Diego Maradona’s death was started in March 2025, with judges Makintach, Maximiliano Savarino, and Verónica Di Tommaso heading the court.  The process was declared a mistrial in May, after Makintach resigned from the court amid controversy over her involvement in a secret documentary about the trial called Justicia Divina (Divine Justice).  Savarino and Di Tommaso claimed Makintach had taken part in “multiple discussions with witnesses and lawyers” during breaks in the daily proceedings, “to the detriment of all parties, and marking the nullity of the debate.” The judge was initially given a 90-day suspension by the Buenos Aires Province Supreme Court and later had an impeachment complaint filed against her by the San Isidro Bar Association. Universidad Austral, the university where she taught criminal law, announced they had suspended her and started an internal investigation. She stands accused of violating the express prohibition on recording or filming hearings by authorizing an outside team to record images during a trial, with the aim of producing a documentary miniseries. The indictment also alleges that Makintach interfered with the work of police personnel who attempted to prevent audiovisual recording inside the courtroom.