Prosecutors seek 12-year prison sentence for Maradona's personal doctor Leopoldo Luque

The trial over the death of Diego Armando Maradona reached a defining moment on Thursday as prosecutors requested a twelve-year prison sentence for Leopoldo Luque, the neurosurgeon who served as the football legend's personal doctor. The request also includes a ten-year professional ban. Luque is charged with simple homicide with eventual intent, a legal category that implies the defendant was aware his actions could lead to death and chose to accept that risk anyway.

• Prosecutors seek 12 years in prison and a 10-year ban for Leopoldo Luque on homicide with eventual intent charges.
• Nancy Forlini and Agustina Cosachov face requests of 10 and 8 years respectively.
• Carlos Díaz, Mariano Perroni and Ricardo Almirón received requests ranging from 4 to 5 years for negligent homicide.
• Clinical doctor Pedro Di Spagna was the only defendant recommended for acquittal.
• The trial has included 45 hearings, 75 witness testimonies and more than one hundred phone messages from the defendants.

The sentences prosecutors are requesting for each defendant in Maradona's death

The prosecution's request extended well beyond Luque. Nancy Forlini, home care coordinator for private medical company Swiss Medical, faces a requested sentence of ten years in prison and another ten years of professional disqualification, also under the charge of homicide with eventual intent. Psychiatrist Agustina Cosachov received a request of eight years behind bars and a ten-year ban.

The picture shifts for the other three defendants, who face a less severe charge. Psychologist Carlos Díaz received a request of five years in prison and ten years of disqualification. Head nurse Mariano Perroni and nurse Ricardo Almirón each face requests of four years in prison and eight years of professional ban. All three are charged with negligent homicide.

Negligent homicide versus eventual intent in the Maradona case

The legal distinction is central to understanding the prosecution's strategy. Negligent homicide punishes carelessness or professional incompetence without intent to cause harm. Eventual intent, by contrast, describes a far more serious scenario: the person knew their actions could result in death and knowingly accepted that risk. Luque, Forlini and Cosachov were all placed under this category.

Prosecutors painted a damning portrait of the at-home treatment received by the 1986 World Cup champion. During closing arguments, prosecutor Patricio Ferrari described a chaotic medical scheme with two heads and two independent channels of information. The conclusion was blunt: absolute disorganization that left Maradona in a state of helplessness.

The roles of Luque and Forlini in Maradona's home recovery

The prosecution built its case around what it called a dual command structure in Maradona's medical care. On one side stood Leopoldo Luque, the former footballer's personal physician. On the other, Nancy Forlini, as Swiss Medical's coordinator. According to prosecutors, these two channels operated without coordination and with no unified authority ensuring proper patient care.

That structure, the accusation argued, led to actions contrary to medical practice and serious omissions. The six professionals targeted by the prosecution allegedly breached their duties and left the icon to his fate, a phrase that carried particular weight inside Courtroom No. 7 of San Isidro's Oral Criminal Tribunal.

Why prosecutors are asking for Pedro Di Spagna's acquittal

Not every defendant received a request for conviction. Prosecutors recommended acquittal for clinical doctor Pedro Di Spagna, the seventh person named in the case. The reasoning was simple: his connection to the patient was minimal, as he visited Maradona on just one occasion. As a result, they concluded he had no authority or decision-making power over the former player's health.

How the Maradona death trial has unfolded in San Isidro

The proceedings began on April 14 before the Oral Criminal Tribunal No. 7 of San Isidro, on the outskirts of Buenos Aires. Since then, 45 hearings have been held for the presentation of evidence. A total of 75 witnesses testified, and more than one hundred messages extracted from the defendants' mobile phones were incorporated into the case, material that proved essential to the prosecution.

Diego Maradona died on November 25, 2020, while undergoing home treatment following surgery for a subdural hematoma. The death of the captain of Argentina's 1986 World Cup-winning team sent shockwaves through global sport and triggered a criminal investigation now approaching a verdict.

They breached their duties, carried out actions contrary to the art of healing, omitted every act they should have performed and placed Maradona in a situation of helplessness, leaving him to his fate.

Frequently asked questions about the trial over Diego Maradona's death