Diego Maradona’s homicide case declared mistrial: ‘This is a great embarrassment’

The trial has been thrown out after one of the judges was forced to resign

The homicide case against Diego Maradona's medical team was declared a mistrial, their lawyers said on Thursday.

The football superstar, who led the Argentine team to World Cup victory in 1986, died from heart failure while he was recovering from surgery in 2020.

Seven members of his medical team were charged with negligent homicide in a trial that began on March 11.

The defendants have denied the charges of "simple homicide with eventual intent" in Maradona's treatment. They were facing prison sentences of between eight and 25 years.

The date for the new trial was not initially announced and new judges were not nominated.

The decision came after one of three judges in the case, Judge Julieta Makintach, resigned on Tuesday in the face of allegations of an ethical breach.

Video surfaced showing her apparently being interviewed by a camera crew as part of a documentary in the corridors of the Buenos Aires courthouse and in her office, which breached judicial rules.

"This is all a great embarrassment," defense attorney Miguel Angel Pierri told media outside the courthouse.

Reuters