️ In the ongoing high-profile trial regarding the November 2020 death of Argentine football legend Diego Maradona, attorneys representing neurosurgeon Leopoldo Luque delivered closing arguments insisting on their client's complete innocence. The defense forcefully rejected the prosecution's narrative, asserting that Luque has been unfairly transformed into a legal scapegoat to shoulder the blame for the tragic outcome.

️ Defense lawyer Roberto Rallin dismissed claims by the prosecution that Maradona's death was a foreseeable event, while co-counsel Francisco Oneto characterized the fatal episode as an acute and utterly unpredictable heart attack. Oneto maintained before the court that clinical examinations performed prior to Maradona's surgery failed to indicate any underlying cardiac vulnerabilities, rendering the final outcome impossible to anticipate.

️ Conversely, prosecutors have pressed for a 12-year prison sentence against Luque, whom they describe as a central decision-maker during the player's precarious final weeks. The prosecution slammed Luque's alleged inaction and persistent disregard for warning signs, while a total of seven healthcare professionals face ongoing negligence trials with requested sentences spanning four to 12 years.

️ The courtroom proceedings have been marred by contentious disputes, including the defense's presentation of autopsy footage that provoked outrage from the football icon's daughters. Luque himself has aggressively defended his actions throughout the hearings, expressing deep personal affection for Maradona. The defense arguments are slated to conclude later in the week.

Source: www.aljazeera.com