Diego Maradona death: 7 medical professionals charged with homicide in stunning revelation

Earlier on Thursday, reports from Argentina claimed that seven people under investigation over the death of Argentine footballing legend Diego Maradona and are facing charges of premeditated murder. The accused are all healthcare professionals who assisted Maradona before his death from a heart attack in November 2020 and will be able to put forward their response from May 31. If found guilty, those accused could face between eight to 25 years in prison.

Diego Maradona case: Why are medical professionals charged with homicide in late Argentine's death? 

Earlier this month, a panel of medical experts concluded that the work of the healthcare professionals who assisted Maradona was "inadequate, deficient and reckless". Leopoldo Luque, the neurosurgeon who performed a successful brain operation on Maradona, and psychiatrist Agustina Cosachov, who treated the former Napoli star, are among the seven individuals charged. However, the duo has denied any wrongdoing in the Diego Maradona death. Two nurses, a nurse coordinator, a doctor and a psychologist are also among those charged in the Diego Maradona case.

Audios of private conversations between doctors and people from Maradona's entourage were also leaked to the media and have indicated that the Argentine great was not being properly looked after prior to his death. It is believed that the medical team were aware that Maradona was using alcohol, psychiatric medication and marijuana in the last months of his life. Maradona's family has demanded justice and hold Luque among those for the Diego Maradona cause of death.

Reports claim that the prosecutors believe that the Diego Maradona death was not the result of malpractice or negligent actions of his doctors, but that they knew the 1986 World Cup-winning star would die and did nothing to prevent it. Among the conclusions of the report, the medical board said that “the signs of life risk” shown by the former Naples and Barcelona star were ignored, and that his care in his final weeks was “plagued by deficiencies and irregularities”.

Diego Maradona death: Diego Maradona cause of death

To answer the 'What happened to Diego Maradona query?', the football legend died of a heart attack on November 25, 2020. However, he had undergone a successful brain surgery just two weeks prior to his death. The autopsy conducted on the day of Maradona's passing found that he had suffered from liquid in the lungs, with acute heart failure brought on by a disease of the heart muscles which made it harder for his body to pump blood.

The toxicological report detected no alcohol or illegal substances, but the presence of psychotropic drugs used to treat anxiety and depression. 

Image Credits - AP