An Argentine judge was removed from her position this Tuesday (18) after causing the mistrial due to negligence against the medical team of the late football idol, Diego Armando Maradona, due to her participation in a documentary about the case.
A special panel of judges, lawyers and provincial lawmakers removed Julieta Makintach, 48, from office and banned her from holding any other judicial position in the future.
Makintach was one of three judges in the now-nulled trial that followed Maradona’s death in 2020 while recovering from brain surgery to remove a blood clot after decades of battling addictions to cocaine and alcohol.
She declared herself barred after information came to light that she had been interviewed for a miniseries about the case, potentially violating a series of ethics rules.
Maradona died on November 25, 2020, aged 60, from heart failure and acute pulmonary edema, two weeks after undergoing surgery.
He was found dead in his bed by a nurse.
Maradona’s medical team is being judged over the conditions of his convalescence in a private residence.
Prosecutors described the care given to the football icon in his final days as gross negligence.
Defendants face prison sentences of eight to 25 years if they are convicted of “intentional homicide” — for following a course of action even though they knew it could lead to death.
The case so far has focused on the decision by Maradona’s doctors to allow him to recover at home with minimal supervision and medical equipment, rather than in a medical facility.
Makintach denied taking part in or authorizing any filming for a documentary about the case, but footage released by Argentine media showed her allegedly being interviewed by a camera crew on the eve of the trial’s start.
