Maradona death trial: his tearful daughter denounces "horrible manipulation" by medical staff

Tears, lots of them, and memories of helplessness. A daughter of Diego Maradona testified at length on Tuesday at the trial in her father's death , about the feeling of a "staged" by the medical staff during his fatal convalescence in 2020.

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During nearly seven hours of hearings, interrupted by sobs and even a torrent of tears, Gianinna, 35, described the feeling of having been under-informed, kept at a distance, even denigrated, by the team of caregivers now on trial.

"Looking back (...) I think it was a set-up, a play that they (the medical team) put on for us, to pursue what they wanted, to keep Dad alone, in a dark and ugly place," said Gianinna, one of Maradona's two daughters, alongside his ex-wife, Claudia Villafañe.

Gianinna did not elaborate on what she believed the motives of the caregivers were. But at the beginning of the trial, her lawyer, Fernando Burlando, pointed to the team's "pecuniary interest," an aspect he believes is the "B" side of the negligence lawsuit.

Seven health professionals - doctors, a psychiatrist, a psychologist, and nurses - have been on trial for two months in San Isidro (north of Buenos Aires) for "homicide with intent," meaning negligence committed knowing it could lead to death.

The Argentine football idol died at the age of 60 on November 25, 2020, from a cardiopulmonary crisis and pulmonary edema, in his bed at a private residence in Tigre, near San Isidro. Maradona had been recovering for two weeks after a successful neurosurgery for a head hematoma.

Testifying on Tuesday, Gianinna directed her resentment toward one of the defendants, Leopoldo Luque, then Maradona's personal physician and, according to trial testimony, the main decision-maker in those fateful weeks, along with psychiatrist Agustina Cosachov.

The decision to convalesce at home after the operation, and the poor level of care and medical equipment on site, have been at the heart of the trial so far, called into question by various testimonies.

Gianinna could not hold back her tears when the recording of a meeting between Maradona's medical team, family and some of his close friends was played in court, discussing the decision to convalesce at home or in an institution - the recommendation of the clinic that operated on him.

"It hurts so much," she apologized. "All of these exchanges seem so unfair to me, everything that was promised (about recovery) and never kept (…) I feel like it was a horrible manipulation (…) a sinister play."

There were more tears when the court played an audio message from one of the defendants, psychologist Carlos Diaz, presented as an "expert in addictions" (from which Maradona suffered), addressed to psychiatrist Cosachov. The message suggested a concern more legal than medical.