After 2 months, 40 witnesses, Maradona trial declared null
In what is widely considered an embarrassment for Argentina's judicial system, judge Maximiliano Savarino said the conduct of his colleague Julieta Makintach had "caused prejudice" to the proceedings, which started in March and had already heard more than 40 witnesses.
A new trial will be held from scratch, with a different panel of judges.
Makintach, one of three judges, had recused herself on Tuesday after it emerged she had been interviewed for a miniseries about the case, potentially breaking a string of ethics rules.
After police raids and a one-week suspension of proceedings, 47-year-old Makintach was accused of violating her impartiality, influence peddling and even bribery over her involvement in the miniseries "Divine Justice."
A trailer for the TV show was played in court Tuesday, showing Makintach stalking the halls of justice in high heels as grim details of the footballing hero's demise were relayed.
The footage appeared to contain unauthorized recordings allegedly made inside the courtroom -- a violation of court rules.
Makintach initially denied authorizing any filming during the trial, but her credibility was questioned after the trailer showed her being interviewed by a film crew and walking through the courtroom.
The prosecution, the complainants and most of the defense lawyers had asked for a new panel of judges to be appointed and the trial, which they consider tainted, restarted.
No date has been set for the new trial, for which judges will be chosen by an internal court lottery.
Thursday's ruling can still be appealed, lawyers told AFP, casting doubt on whether the already long-delayed proceedings will resume this year.
'Agonizing'
Maradona -- considered one of the world's greatest ever players -- died in November 2020 aged 60 while recovering from brain surgery.
He was found to have died of heart failure and acute pulmonary edema -- a condition where fluid accumulates in the lungs -- two weeks after going under the knife.
His seven-person medical team is on trial over the conditions of his home convalescence, described by prosecutors as grossly negligent.
The team faces prison terms of between eight and 25 years if convicted of "homicide with possible intent" -- pursuing a course of action despite knowing it could lead to death.
Prosecutors allege the former footballer was abandoned to his fate for a "prolonged, agonizing period" before his death.
Daughter Gianinna Maradona told the court her father was kept in "a dark, ugly and lonely" place and that his carers were more interested in money than his welfare.
© 2025 AFP
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Local France
6 hours ago
- Local France
Paris Holocaust memorial, synagogues hit with paint
"I am deeply disgusted by these heinous acts targeting the Jewish community," said French Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau said on X. No arrests have been made. Retailleau last week called for "visible and dissuasive" security measures at Jewish-linked sites amid concerns over possible anti-Semitic acts. In a separate message seen by AFP, the interior minister on Friday had again ordered heightened surveillance ahead of the upcoming Jewish Shavuot holiday. The French Jewish community, one of the largest in the world, has for months been on edge in the face of a growing number of attacks and desecrations of memorials since the Gaza war erupted on October 7, 2023. "Anti-Semitic acts account for more than 60 percent of anti-religious acts, and the Jewish community is particularly vulnerable," Retailleau said in the message seen by AFP. Advertisement Paris authorities would be lodging a complaint over the paint incident, said the city's mayor, Anne Hidalgo. "I condemn these acts of intimidation in the strongest possible terms. Anti-Semitism has no place in our city or in our Republic," she said. In May 2024, red hand graffiti was painted beneath the wall at the memorial in central Paris honouring individuals who saved Jews from persecution during the 1940-44 Nazi occupation of France.
Local France
6 hours ago
- Local France
Suspects charged in French crypto abduction cases
Those charged are part of a group of 25 suspects expected to face investigating judges, with several already placed in pre-trial detention and three under judicial supervision. Others were still waiting to appear before detention judges late Friday evening, according to an AFP reporter. The investigation centres on a May 13 kidnapping attempt targeting the daughter and grandson of the chief executive officer of crypto firm Paymium, carried out in broad daylight in Paris' 11th arrondissement. Prosecutors said the probe also covers "other unsuccessful plans", including an initial failed attempt on the same targets the day before, and a disrupted operation near the western city of Nantes on Monday. Authorities said this week they had thwarted the Nantes abduction and detained more than 20 suspects in connection with that plot and another targeting crypto boss Pierre Noizat's pregnant daughter and grandson. Footage of the attempted abduction that went viral on social media showed four masked men attacking Noizat's daughter, her husband and their child in the French capital's hip 11th district in mid-May. All three suffered light injuries and were taken to hospital. Noizat later praised his "heroic" son-in-law and a man who used a red fire extinguisher to fend off the attackers. Advertisement According to a source close to the case, it was while investigating the abduction attempt that targeted Noizat's family that the police discovered the new plot near Nantes. Ambroise Vienet-Legue, who represents a suspect in the Nantes plot, described the accused as "very young profiles", lured by money and swept up in a dynamic beyond their control. "My client admitted to being a fuse in a criminal machine" and deeply regrets it, he said. Defence lawyer Sobieslaw Bemmoussat said his client, who had recently turned 18 and was recruited by more experienced actors, now risks detention in a justice system that wants to send a message rather than assessing individual responsibility. Lawyers for a 23-year-old suspect placed under supervision said judges had taken into account his personal circumstances and his lack of involvement in the case. Another lawyer welcomed the court's recognition of the defendants' age -- some are as young as 16 -- noting that even in a high-profile case, judges had considered the protections granted to minors. The two cases also have links to the May 1 abduction of a crypto-millionaire's father, who was later rescued by police, a source close to the investigation said this week. Among those arrested so far are suspects accused of involvement in carrying out the abductions and more senior figures believed to be involved in logistics, according to sources close to the case. Advertisement Connecting the dots The kidnappings and abduction attempts have become a major embarrassment for the French government and have sparked concern about the security of wealthy crypto tycoons, who have notched up immense fortunes from the booming business. One prominent cryptocurrency entrepreneur has urged authorities to "stop the Mexicanisation of France". The spate of abductions began in January, when kidnappers seized French crypto boss David Balland and his partner. Balland co-founded the crypto firm Ledger, valued at the time at more than $1 billion. Balland's finger was cut off by his kidnappers, who had demanded a hefty ransom. He was freed the next day, and his girlfriend was found tied up in the boot of a car outside Paris. In mid-May, Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau held an emergency meeting with cryptocurrency leaders, with the ministry announcing plans to bolster their security.
LeMonde
6 hours ago
- LeMonde
Paris: Holocaust memorial and two synagogues targeted by green paint overnight
France's Holocaust memorial, two synagogues and a restaurant in central Paris were vandalized with green paint overnight, according to police sources cited by Agence France-Presse (AFP) on Saturday, May 31, prompting condemnation from government and city officials. At the foot of the façade of the restaurant Chez Marianne, located next to Rue de Rosiers, an open pot of paint was found. The police also found paint splattered on the Tournelles synagogue, the Agoudas Hakehilos synagogue and the Shoah Memorial, all in the 4 th arrondissement of the capital. No messages or claims of responsibility have been found at this stage. The incidents were reported by police officers on patrol at around 5:15 am. Footage from the Memorial's CCTV cameras showed a person dressed in black spray-painting the wall at around 4:30 am. "I am deeply disgusted by these heinous acts targeting the Jewish community," said French Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau said on X. No arrests have been made. Paris authorities would be lodging a complaint over the paint incident, the city's mayor, Anne Hidalgo, said. "I condemn these acts of intimidation in the strongest possible terms. Antisemitism has no place in our city or in our Republic," she said in a statement released to the press. There was also strong emotion from the mayor of Paris Centre, Ariel Weil, who wrote on X: "After red paint, now green paint. This time, the gesture is more precise: the Shoah Memorial, synagogues and a 'Jewish' restaurant. After all, it's just heritage. And it will surely save lives. We know where 'militant' acts begin, but we don't know where they end." Weil shared images of buildings covered in green paint. In a message sent to prefects on Friday and seen by AFP, Minister Retailleau called for increased security measures for the Jewish community during the Shavuot holiday, from the evening of June 1 to the evening of June 3. He explained these measures by citing "persistent international tensions, particularly in the Middle East," which "require extreme vigilance, especially with regard to demonstrations and places of worship." The minister also noted that "antisemitic acts account for more than 60% of anti-religious acts, and the Jewish community is particularly vulnerable." Feeling of stigmatization The president of the Representative Council of Jewish Institutions in France (CRIF), Yonathan Arfi, told AFP on Saturday that he felt "great sadness and indignation upon seeing the images this morning of Jewish sites that had been vandalized." Arfi said he hoped that the perpetrator, "since it is clearly just one person on the surveillance cameras," would be apprehended "as quickly as possible so that we can find out the motives behind his actions." "Whether or not this is an attempt to destabilize from outside, it is an act that targets the Jewish community in France and creates a feeling of stigmatization among Jews, which is always a violent feeling," he continued, referring to "images that hurt." "That's where it's tragic, because whatever the perpetrator's motives, the consequence is the same: It's a form of violent stigmatization of Jews," he insisted.
