Maradona trial on brink of COLLAPSE after glam judge appears in glitzy doc about ongoing case over football icon's death
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THE trial of late Argentine football superstar Diego Maradona's medical team is on the brink of collapse after a glam judge appeared in a glitzy documentary about the ongoing case.
Julieta Makintach - dubbed the "judge of God" - recused herself after a trailer for the six-part mini-series was embarrassingly played to the court.
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Julieta Makintach - dubbed the 'judge of God' - recused herself
Credit: Clarin
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One clip shows her going up in a lift in what appears to be a courthouse
Credit: P14
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Makintach arrives at court for a hearing in the trial of health professionals accused of negligence in the death of soccer star Diego Maradona
Credit: AP
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Argentine former football star Diego Maradona died in 2020
Credit: AFP
It emerged that Makintach, 47, had been shooting the series called Divine Justice about the case, potentially breaking a string of ethics rules.
The shocking preview begins with Makintach strutting through the entrance of what seems to be a court house in high heels as she takes the lift to the upper floors.
News broadcasts of footy legend Maradona's death are also featured in the trailer, as well as an excerpt of an emergency call asking for an ambulance.
It concludes with Makintach preparing documents at a desk.
The bizarre footage suggests unauthorised recordings were shot inside the courtroom, which constitutes a breach of judicial rules.
According to a script, the mini-series would follow Makintach as she "reconstructs the death of Maradona and certain painful milestones of his life related to abandonment."
The trailer preview was one of the various pieces of evidence seized by cops in raids last week as the trail was suspended.
Tuesday's hearing was marked by insults, recriminations, shouting and tears.
In a bitter exchange, prosecutor Patricio Ferrari accused Makintach of behaving "like an actress and not a judge."
He said: "[Makintach] spoke about Maradona, the trial, how it was unfolding.
Diego Maradona's daughter fights back tears as she says family live in fear of mafia ahead of trial into his death
"She has been completely influenced by her leading role, by the centrality of her figure.
"She lied to our faces for three months. I demand that the court recuse judge Makintach."
As the trailer was played, defence lawyer Rodolfo Baque jumped out of his chair to shout "trash" at the judge.
The late footballer's daughter Gianinna Maradona tried to calm him before she and Maradona's former partner, Veronica Ojeda, both began to sob.
Makintach sat with her head bowed, biting her lip and eventually said she had "no choice" but to recuse herself as one of the case's three justices.
Her removal is an embarrassment for Argentina's judicial system and could yet derail a trial being watched by football fans worldwide.
Maradona - considered one of the world's greatest ever football players - had been recovering at his home in Buenos Aires from surgery on a brain blood clot when he tragically died of a heart attack aged 60.
Seven members of the legend's medical team are being prosecuted for negligent homicide over his death in November 2020.
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She also struts in her high heels in the trailer
Credit: P14
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The trailer preview was one of the various pieces of evidence seized by cops in raids last week as the trail was suspended
Credit: Clarin
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Judges Veronica Di Tommaso, Maximiliano Savarino and Julieta Makintach attend the first day of soccer legend Diego Maradona's death trial
Credit: Reuters
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Portrait of Argentina's midfielder Diego Maradona in 1986
Credit: AFP
Those responsible for his medical care face prison terms between eight and 25 years if convicted of homicide with possible intent.
The charges relate to their decision to allow him to recover from major surgery at home, and the conditions of his care.
They deny the charges.
The medical team on trial includes a neurosurgeon, a doctor and a night nurse.
The defendants have claimed Maradona refused any further treatment and should have stayed home for longer following his operation.
Gianinna Maradona has claimed her father was kept in "a dark, ugly and lonely" place and that his carers were more interested in money than his welfare.
The court will decide on Thursday whether the trial will go ahead or be scrapped and then restarted.
Some of the plaintiffs have called for a new trial, saying they felt proceedings have been tainted by scandal.
The lawyer for Maradona's ex-partner Ojeda said that "everyone now feels that this is compromised," adding that it's "healthiest to start over from scratch".
Glam Makintach denied being paid for the documentary and said that she had given "an interview to a childhood friend about the justice system".
Makintach added: "That material was raw, it was intimate. It was on a Sunday at 5pm. Does that give it the label of forbidden, hidden, illicit?"
According to Argentinian media, prosecutor Ferrari said: "On Sunday March 9, before the trial began, Makintach entered the building with six people.
"And if there is a script and a trailer, it wasn't just an interview.
"There were photos, footage. There was no authorisation for this irregular entry.
"All the aggravating circumstances clearly exist that demonstrate the loss of independence and impartiality of the member summoned to this trial."
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