MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Maradona Case: Trial adjourned amid bias allegations against one judge

The prosecution argues that Maradona's death was not inevitable

The proceedings trying former Argentine football legend Diego Maradona's medical team was adjourned Tuesday for seven days after it became known that one of the judges making up the court had allowed a documentary team to film the sessions without the consent of any of the parties involved, such as the defendants, the prosecution, or the witnesses.

In this scenario, Judge Julieta Makintach's impartiality was questioned, and a probe into the matter was launched. Makintach denied any wrongdoing but admitted the unauthorized individuals recording the events were personal acquaintances of hers. She even volunteered to step down from the bench, if need be.

Maradona passed away on Nov. 25, 2020, in a house he had rented for his off-hospital recovery after brain surgery. The health care professionals are charged with neglecting him. The prosecution argues that the 1986 World Cup winner's death would not have been inevitable had he received proper assistance.

San Isidro's Oral Criminal Court Nº3 Chief Justice Maximiliano Savarino announced that Tuesday's decision was adopted unanimously to evaluate the alleged irregularities. “We understand that it is a reasonable term that guarantees that the court can resolve the issue,” he expressed.

“I understand everyone's anxiety. I am convinced of my [alleged] bias. I will give the explanations of the case. To denounce a judge, you have to have well-founded reasons,” Makintach said while volunteering to step down if her permanence jeopardized the trial's validity. “Maybe I will be the one to step aside,” she insisted. “They need the evidence and the reasons to substantiate,” the allegations of bias.

Surgeon Leopoldo Luque's lawyer Julio Rivas claimed that Makintach improperly authorized cameras into the first hearing, with two people having recorded the session with no press credentials. and thus raised questions about the magistrate's impartiality. “Makintach has authorized people to have cameras on the first day of hearing when the Court had prohibited the access of cameras,” Rivas underlined while noting that she had acted in an inquisitorial manner toward the witnesses.

Hence, the Prosecutor's Office requested the suspension of the proceedings for 10 days to investigate the alleged links between the judge and a documentary production company. “There is no crime, there is no documentary or contact with production companies, and the trial has no irregularities,” insisted Makintach, who has a 27-year career within the Judiciary. However, she acknowledged that she knew the two people who recorded the first hearing, one of them a childhood friend and the other the husband of a friend, both of whom are allegedly writers.