Argentinian judge fired after dismissing Maradona’s medical team

An Argentine judge was removed from her post on Tuesday after causing a mistrial in the negligence case against the medical team under whose care football legend Diego Maradona died in 2020.

Julieta Makintach, 48, was one of three judges in the trial of seven medical professionals accused by prosecutors of killing Maradona as she recovered from brain surgery for a blood clot after decades of battling cocaine and alcohol addictions.

She withdrew after it emerged that she had been interviewed for a miniseries about the case, potentially violating a series of ethics rules.

Nevertheless, the trial was annulled after two months and forty witnesses – including Maradona’s grieving daughters – had been heard.

On Tuesday, a special panel of judges, lawyers and provincial lawmakers removed Makintach from her position and disqualified her from holding any other judicial position in the future.

Maradona – considered one of the world’s greatest ever players – died aged 60 from heart failure and acute pulmonary edema, two weeks after going under the knife.

He was found dead in his bed by a day nurse.

The footballer’s medical team is on trial over the conditions of his recovery in a private home and faces prison sentences of eight to 25 years if convicted of ‘murder with possible intent’.

Prosecutors have described the football icon’s care in his final days as gross negligence and said Maradona was left to fend for himself for a «prolonged, painful period» before his death.

A new trial has since been scheduled for March 17, 2026, with a new three-judge panel.

– ‘Wrong’ –

The case focused on the decision by Maradona’s doctors to allow him to recover at home with minimal supervision and medical equipment rather than a medical facility.

Makintach had denied participating in or consenting to filming for a documentary on the case, but footage shared in Argentine media showed her being interviewed by a film crew on the eve of the trial.

Prosecutors accused her of misusing state resources to promote a project for her own benefit, and on Tuesday the panel found her guilty of negligence, neglect of duty, breach of confidentiality and abuse of power.

Makintach claimed she did not know the interview, requested by a friend, was for a documentary, and apologized for her ‘mistake’.

“I apologize a thousand times to the (Maradona) family for failing to achieve what I wanted most, which was to achieve justice,” she told the panel.

A trailer for the documentary, titled ‘Divine Justice’, was played in court before Makintach’s refusal, showing her walking through the courtrooms in high heels as grim details of the football hero’s death were relayed.

The footage, which caused a stir, also appeared to include unauthorized recordings taken in court.

Guillermo Sagues of the Bar Association of San Isidro, one of Makintach’s prosecutors, told reporters on Tuesday that her actions had made Argentina’s legal system «ridiculous.»

Her lawyers did not respond to requests for comment.

Published on November 19, 2025