Diego Maradona’s former partner Verónica Ojeda took aim at the former star’s lawyer, Matías Morla, in the latest hearing over the footballer’s death on Tuesday.

“They held Diego hostage, he was scared of everything,” she said. 

Ojeda said that their relationship began in 2005 and ended in 2014, one year after the birth of their son, Diego Fernando. They lost contact after that and only reconnected in 2018, talking over the phone sometimes. 

“His entourage wouldn’t let me near him,” she said.

Ojeda took aim at Morla and his circle, made up of sister Vanesa and brother-in-law Maximiliano Pomargo, who have all been accused of fraud by the star’s heirs. She added that Pomargo lied to her, saying he was Maradona’s assistant when in fact he had a controlling stake in Sattvica S.A., the company that owns the former star’s brand.

Ojeda argued that Maradona’s struggles were “convenient” to his entourage, although she did not expand on specific examples. She also added that they pushed him away from their son. 

“[Maradona] asked me why I wouldn’t let him see [Diego Fernando],” she said, adding that she explained to him that it wasn’t her call.

Ojeda threatened to report his entourage to the police after they refused her access to Maradona’s home. They later agreed to set up a meeting at a shopping center. She described Maradona’s demeanor during the encounter as “very languid and pale.”  She added that the star’s bodyguard refused to give them a moment of privacy.

The last time she saw Maradona alive was two days before his death.

“I wanted to take him somewhere else because [he] wasn’t ok,” she said. “I didn’t want him living in that place with a stench of piss, it’s awful to live like that.”

Long-time doctor said he opposed home care

Mario Schiter, a medical doctor who took part in the former star’s autopsy, testified that the process confirmed his “suspicions regarding Diego’s health problems.”

Schiter, who met Maradona in 1999 and was part of the team of doctors that monitored him through his health provider, said he died of heart failure and dilated cardiomyopathy. He added that the star’s health problems were aggravated by the fact that he did not follow the recommended diet.

Although he never talked to Maradona’s chief medical adviser, Leopoldo Luque, Schiter argued that he would have advised that the star be cared for by a team of multiple health care professionals. He also said that he opposed home-based care and insisted that the star should have never been left alone.