Scandal Shakes the Trial for Maradona’s Death: Request to Suspend Debate
The trial for the death of Diego Armando Maradona has been shaken by a new controversy. Prosecutor Patricio Ferrari has requested a ten-day suspension in the oral debate due to a scandal involving Judge Julieta Mackintach, a member of the Oral Criminal Court No. 3 of San Isidro. The decision on the suspension is in the hands of the magistrates.
Prosecutor Ferrari’s request arises after the insistence of Leopoldo Luque’s lawyer, Julio Rivas, to recuse Judge Mackintach. Rivas argues that the magistrate authorized the filming of a documentary about the trial without the consent of the parties and allowed the entry of cameras on the first day of hearings, something expressly prohibited.
The principle of legality and impartiality are at stake.
Julio Rivas, lawyer of Leopoldo Luque
Prosecutor Ferrari described what happened as “a concrete institutional seriousness” and noted that the first evidence in the investigation initiated by lawyers Fernando Burlando and Mario Baudry “is not encouraging.”
We consider the postponement of the trial for a period of 10 days to resolve an issue that compromises the legitimacy of the process to be extremely prudent.
Patricio Ferrari, prosecutor
The suspension request was supported by several plaintiff lawyers, including Fernando Burlando, representative of Dalma and Gianinna Maradona, who warned about the “irreparable impact” of what happened. Félix Linfante, Mario Baudry, Pablo Jurado and Diego Junior’s lawyer also showed their support.
Among the defenders of the accused, Vadim Mischanchuk, Diego Olmedo, and María Julia Marcelli supported the request. However, other defense lawyers, such as Martín Montalbo, Franco Chiarelli, and Nicolás D’Albora, opposed it, alleging lack of sufficient information and questioning the prudence of making decisions based on rumors.
Despite his opposition to the suspension, D’Albora acknowledged the institutional seriousness of the case and stated that, if the judge were removed, the trial would collapse, with no possibility of salvaging the validity of the procedural acts.
The Court will have to decide whether to accept the ten-day suspension, the maximum period allowed by the Criminal Procedure Code of the Province of Buenos Aires. The continuation of the trial for Maradona’s death remains suspended, while tensions grow.
