Duti: The trial of Maradona case has caused another turmoil, and the suspect s doctor asked to replace the judge was rejected by the court

Italian media "Turin Sports" reported that the new Argentine court, which is responsible for investigating Maradona's controversial death case, recently rejected a request from the late King of Football's personal doctor Leopoldo Luke. The request is intended to require the replacement of two of the newly formed judges.

Luke's defense attorney had previously filed a motion to exclude two of the judges, claiming they may have bias and could affect their impartiality. The motion came after the first trial was declared invalid due to a serious procedural violation. The core of this protracted legal dispute is to accuse seven medical staff who are responsible for caring for Maradona's last time in fatal negligence. This case is still far from the end of the case.

This case that shocked the public in Argentina and the world focused on clinical care during Maradona's postoperative rehabilitation. Maradona died at the age of 60 at his residence in Tigray on November 25, 2020, when he was undergoing recovery after a major neurosurgery. The investigation focused on his medical team being accused of failing to provide timely and appropriate care in the event of a marked deterioration of his condition.

On August 6 local time, a new court formed in July this year officially rejected the request for evasion by lawyer Leopoldo Luke. Lawyers have argued that two of the three judges may not be able to maintain justice, and their motion is based on “reasonable concerns about bias.” However, the court dismissed the argument, saying the request was a procrastination strategy that lacked legal basis. According to the official explanation, the motion is based solely on pure speculation and subjective judgment and lacks specific evidence to support it.

Despite the rejection of the request, Luke's defense team did not give up. Its lawyers have announced their intention to appeal within the next few days, challenging the ruling. This new judicial barrier is just one of many twists and turns in this case that continues to attract huge attention and controversy in Argentina. The defense insisted that Dr. Luke had no intentional negligence at all, and emphasized that his behavior always puts the interests of the patients first and was not caused by negligence.

The initial trial of the case started in early 2024, but was dramatically declared invalid at the end of May after two and a half months of hearings and hearing more than 40 witnesses. The court was disbanded because of serious violations, including a female judge who was found involved in a documentary production dedicated to the Maradona case. This act is believed to conflict with the demands of impartiality as a judge, thus undermining the effectiveness of the entire trial and forcing the authorities to start from scratch.

Currently, seven medical professionals, including doctors, psychiatrists, psychologists and nurses, are charged with "possible intentional homicide." Legally, this means they are accused of acting with knowledge that their negligence may lead to death. If convicted, they face a sentence of 8 to 25 years in prison. Prosecutors alleged that Maradona died after hours of pain and despite obvious signs of deterioration in her physical condition, she was abandoned in a critical state and received no necessary assistance.