The case over the death of Argentine football superstar Diego Maradona suffered a new delay as one of the judges tasked with trying the legal proceedings asked to step down. A replacement is now set to be appointed via random draw on July 15 at the San Isidro Courts. 

Judge Alejandro Lago filed his request to step down on July 4, arguing medical reasons. He presented medical files justifying a six-month leave and his dropping out of the case. The file alleges he suffers from a series of conditions that render him unable to face the “intensity and emotional burden of the trial.”

Lago had been assigned to the case alongside Roberto Gaig and Alberto Ortolani at the San Isidro 7th Criminal Court.

This wasn’t the only setback in the investigation into Maradona’s death. Also on Thursday, Judge María Coelho determined to temporarily suspend a separate trial against one of the accused, nurse Dahiana Madrid. 

This decision stems from the Maradona family lawyers’ request that the initial proceedings be deemed a mistrial. In their petition, they claim that all interventions made by Judge Julieta Makintach have to be nullified after it was confirmed she was taking part in the clandestine trial documentary “Justicia Divina.” 

Given that Makintach was part of the tribunal that issued the original ruling granting nurse Madrid a separate trial by jurors, the proceedings fell under the scope of the lawyer’s request. Incidentally, Coelho had also been originally drafted to head the retrial of the original case but excused herself due to her involvement in Madrid’s trial.

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Maradona’s death trial: A timeline

Maradona died on November 25, 2020, less than a month after undergoing surgery to remove a subdural hematoma. Family members questioned the care he was given in the years prior and the responsibility of those in charge of his well-being.

The first trial was originally scheduled for June 2024 but was repeatedly delayed until it started in March 2025. The proceedings saw Maradona’s main medical advisor, Leopoldo Luque, as well as the star’s psychiatrist, Agustina Cosachov, and psychologist, Carlos Díaz, stand accused of failing to administer proper medical care for their patient despite being in full knowledge of the former star’s condition. 

Medical care coordinators Nancy Forlini and Mariano Perroni, designated doctor Pedro Di Spagna, and nurses Ricardo Almirón and Dahiana Madrid, all of them accused of involuntary manslaughter, were also on trial in those proceedings.

The legal probe centered around the former star’s health, the decision to put him under home care, and the decisions of those caring for him. 

The trial was declared null and void after judges Maximiliano Savarino and Verónica Di Tommaso claimed that the third judge, Julieta Mackintach, had taken part in “multiple discussions with witnesses and lawyers” during breaks in the daily proceedings.

The new trial, which still does not have a scheduled starting date, will see the same defendants as the first one. 

After being handed a 90-day suspension by the Buenos Aires Province Supreme Court, Makintach filed her resignation in June and faces an impeachment complaint filed against her.