A lawyer for Leopoldo Luque, a doctor charged in the 2020 death of football legend Diego Maradona, said in closing arguments Wednesday that his client was innocent and had been made a "scapegoat."

Roberto Rallin rejected the prosecution's argument that Maradona's death in November 2020 was foreseeable, while another defence attorney, Francisco Oneto, maintained that his death resulted from an "acute and unpredictable" heart attack.

"There was absolutely no possibility of predicting this fatal outcome," Oneto insisted.

Prosecutors are seeking a 12-year prison sentence for Luque, a neurosurgeon considered a key decision-maker for Maradona at the time of his death.

"We are here to proclaim Luque's innocence, not with television slogans, but with the evidence that supports it," Rallin said. "Leopoldo Luque has been made the scapegoat." 

Maradona died at age 60 from a cardiorespiratory crisis coupled with pulmonary edema.

He was found dead in his bed at a residence in Tigre, north of Buenos Aires, rented for his convalescence, following surgery for a subdural haematoma.

The death of Argentina's favourite footballing son plunged the country into mourning in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic. Tens of thousands of people defied social distancing rules to bid farewell to him as he lay in state at the Casa Rosada.

A total of seven healthcare professionals have been on trial since April for potential negligence leading to the star's death during his two weeks of convalescence.

Prosecutors have requested sentences ranging from four to 12 years for six of the seven defendants.

During closing arguments, the prosecution condemned Luque's "inaction," saying his attitude "was always to do nothing" in the face of the warning signs that Maradona was exhibiting.

Contested medical history

Luque's lawyers attacked the conclusions of an interdisciplinary medical commission, which was established by the court in 2021 to provide an opinion on the star's death.

The commission, which based its findings on the autopsy and other tests, said Maradona had a history of heart problems that should have been taken into account – a conclusion the prosecution emphasised.

But Luque's defence lawyers said that clinical tests done prior to Maradona's surgery just before his death didn't reveal any heart issues.

"It's so clear that Maradona didn't have any heart problems in 2020," Oneto said during closing arguments.

Throughout the trial, Luque was by far the most combative defendant, speaking several times when he felt he was being implicated. His legal team played audio recordings, presented scientific articles and even a video of Maradona's autopsy, provoking the anger of the footballer's daughters.

"It's easy to attack me because I'm the one who had the most contact with Maradona," Luque said in court, asserting that "the only one who would defend me would be Diego."

"I cared deeply for him, I loved him, he was my idol and my friend," he said.

The defence's closing arguments are expected to finish this week.

– TIMES/AFP