Maradona Trial Chaos: Kidney Tests Disputed

The already chaotic trial into the death of Diego Maradona has been halted again, this time over a stunning claim: crucial kidney tests used as evidence may not belong to the 1986 World Cup icon at all, but to his late father.

Seven healthcare professionals stand accused of criminal negligence over the treatment Maradona received in the days leading up to his death at 60, in November 2020, while recovering from brain surgery at a rented house in Tigre, on the outskirts of Buenos Aires.

The case was already scarred by scandal. The first trial collapsed last year after two and a half months of hearings, when it emerged that one of the judges had secretly taken part in a clandestine documentary about the proceedings. A new trial opened in April and had been edging towards its conclusion.

Then came the latest twist.

Kidney tests under the spotlight

Defence lawyers now argue that kidney test results presented in court do not correspond to Diego Armando Maradona, but to his father, also named Diego, who died in 2015. If that is confirmed, it would strike at the heart of the medical evidence underpinning the prosecution’s case.

The court has adjourned the trial until 27 August to allow time to verify the origin of the tests and review the broader body of evidence.

The potential fallout is enormous. Those kidney results fed into the work of a medical commission tasked with evaluating the care Maradona received before his death. That commission has been sharply critical of the treatment provided by his medical team. The nephrologist who testified on Tuesday is a member of that body.

If the tests are proven to be from Maradona’s father, the credibility of the commission’s findings could be badly damaged.

Prosecution stands firm, defence seeks clarity

Despite the confusion, prosecutors insist their case remains intact. They argue that the alleged mix-up does not undermine the broader picture of neglect they say surrounded Maradona in his final days.

“They (the defense) will not succeed in bringing down the trial,” prosecutor Patricio Ferrari declared, rejecting any notion that the proceedings are fatally compromised.

On the other side, there is frustration but no open push — at least for now — to blow everything up and start again. A lawyer representing nurse Nancy Forlini, one of the accused, said he has no intention of seeking a mistrial.

“I want this case to end so that my client knows her judicial fate,” he said, underlining the strain on those in the dock as the process drags on.

Warnings that went unheeded

Inside the courtroom, medical testimony has painted a grim picture of Maradona’s final days. The football legend died of heart failure and acute pulmonary edema — fluid in the lungs — two weeks after surgery to remove a brain clot.

On Tuesday, the nephrologist told the court that the state of Maradona’s kidneys should have set off alarms for his doctors. For a patient in that condition, he said, the standard of care was clear: “daily medical checkups, daily nursing care, blood tests and monitoring of his vital signs.”

The prosecution argues that this level of attention was never provided. The defence flatly denies any negligence.

For now, everything pauses. The judges, the lawyers, the families, all waiting on one basic but explosive question: whose kidneys are really in those test results — and how much of this trial will be left standing once that answer arrives?