Argentine judicial authorities have decided to put the medical staff of football legend Diego Maradona on trial for "simple homicide with probable intention."
Maradona, 60, passed away in Buenos Aires due to a heart attack while he was recovering from a brain surgery for a blood clot in November 2020.
The 8-member medical personnel are being accused of abandoning the 60-year-old "to his fate" during home hospitalization, as per Mario Baudry, a lawyer for one of Maradona's sons.
"As soon as I saw the cause, I said it was homicide. I fought for a long time and here we are, with this stage completed," he said, adding later that the negligence shown by the medical team had placed Maradona in a "situation of helplessness," DW reported.
The medical professionals under investigation are Maradona's neurosurgeon and personal doctor, Leopoldo Luque, psychiatrist Agustina Cosachov, psychologist Carlos Diaz along with four other doctors and nurses who have repeatedly denied all allegations against them.
According to a medical board investigating the World Cup winner's death deduced that the medical team reacted in an "inappropriate, deficient, and reckless manner."
Maradona's family had pressured the Argentinian authorities to launch an official probe into the circumstances leading to the star's death by complaining against neurosurgeon Leopold Luque.
With no exact trial date released yet, this 'simple homicide' is believed to hold a sentence of 8 to 25 years in Argentinian prison, as per NY Post.
Argentina had witnessed a period of national mourning when Maradona passed away. Considered as the greatest football players of all time, Maradona was also one of the two winners of the FIFA Player of the 20th Century award.
