The case of the death of the great Maradona turned into the largest judicial scandal in Argentina

One of the loudest legal scandals of recent years has broken out in Buenos Aires (Argentina). Judge Juliet Makintah, who was in charge of the case of the death of the world-famous football player Diego Armand Maradona (1960-2020), was permanently removed from office. This is reported by the portal La Nacion.

This decision was made by the Jury on Disciplinary Responsibility (Jurado de Enjuiciamiento) after it turned out that during the trial the judge starred in the documentary series Justicia Divina (Divine Justice).

In the series, Makintah acted as a key figure, the film crew had access to the corridors of the court, her office and even the courtroom. The trailer and fragments of the first episode appeared on the network, which confirmed the fact of the production of the series.

According to the disciplinary commission, the participation of the current judge in such a project violated the principles of impartiality and damaged confidence in justice.

"She behaved like a heroine of a work of art, and not as a figure of the judiciary," the commission's decision says.

The trial in the case of Maradona's death, which lasted from March 11 and could end in July of this year, was declared "invalid." In May, after the trailer and fragments of the first episode leaked to the network, the process was suspended. All the procedures of the previous trial — 21 audiences and interrogations of witnesses — have now been canceled.

A new trial on the death of the Argentine legend is scheduled for March 17, 2026. The court will not be able to refer to the evidence that was collected during the work of Makintah at the trial.

According to leaked materials, the series Justicia Divina was supposed to consist of six episodes, each of which connected the chronicle of the trial of Maradona with elements of the judge's personal history. In the first episode, for example, it was shown how she was preparing for a working day. Part of the footage was presented as evidence at the hearings of the commission on the case of the judge herself. She also claimed that "the documentary in the form that appeared in the public space is not her project" and that she did not complete the shooting. The cost of the entire series was estimated at $ 3 million.

The script of Justicia Divina was officially registered with the National Copyright Office of Argentina (Dirección Nacional del Derecho de Autor) even before the start of the trial. This suggests that the project was carefully worked out and licensed, and not just an "interview and a project about a judge."

The removal of Makintah was an unprecedented step: for the first time in Argentina, a judge was permanently excluded from the justice system because of his participation in a media project about his own trial.

As reported by EADaily, Maradona died on November 25, 2020 at his home in the suburbs of Buenos Aires. According to preliminary data, the cause of death was chronic heart failure, which caused acute pulmonary edema and sudden cardiac arrest. In Argentina, three days of mourning were declared over the death of a national legend.

At the time of his death, Maradona was recovering from head surgery (subdural hematoma) at home. The prosecutor's office began to clarify the circumstances of the death by launching an investigation into the possible negligence of medical personnel.

Seven people were under investigation: neurosurgeon Leopoldo Luque, psychiatrist Agustina Kosakov, as well as psychologist, medical coordinator, head of nursing, nurse and general practitioner. Doctors are charged under the article on "manslaughter with possible premeditation" (homicidio simple con dolo eventual), that is, doctors could understand the risks, but did not react promptly enough or incorrectly. The defendants did not purposefully want to kill Maradona, but should have foreseen the possibility of death as a result of their actions or inaction. If they are found guilty, depending on the role of each, the court may impose from 8 to 25 years in prison.

The prosecution claims that the medical care was "negligent", "defective" and "not safe enough": according to the prosecution, the team left Maradona "in a situation of defenselessness" at home. The decision of the team of doctors to treat the star at home, where the necessary equipment was missing, and not in the hospital was particularly criticized, it was "unreasonably risky."

The trial has been going on for several years and causes a great public outcry.