Gianinna Maradona, one of Diego Armando Maradona’s daughters, began her testimony on Tuesday during the trial related to her father’s death and accused Dr. Leopoldo Luque, the main defendant in the case, of ignoring her warnings about her father’s deteriorating health. Maradona passed away on November 25, 2020.

Gianinna described her father’s condition: “I could see him getting worse every day. He couldn’t connect with reality, he was always drowsy, and slow.”

Upon noticing this decline, she contacted Dr. Luque, who allegedly responded: “He told me my father’s condition fluctuated—some days better, some days worse. He also talked about the psychiatrist, saying they had hired him to prescribe medication properly. He claimed he knew about Maradona’s good and bad days but believed he was improving. It was a lie. They lied to me.”

Gianinna, along with her sister Dalma, her mother Claudia Villafañe, and her 16-year-old son Benjamin Agüero Maradona (from her relationship with Sergio Agüero), appeared at Criminal Court No. 3 in San Isidro, Buenos Aires.

Gianinna’s presence at the 17th court session, which was the most crowded since the initial hearing, caused a stir among local and international journalists, as well as Maradona fans gathered outside the courthouse.

Upon entering the courthouse parking lot, Gianinna told reporters: “I just ask you not to push me, because last time I was pushed.”

Also present at the hearing were Jana Maradona, Gianinna and Dalma’s half-sister, Verónica Ojeda, one of Maradona’s ex-wives, and three other defendants in the case: Carlos Díaz (psychologist), Mariano Perroni (nurse coordinator), and Pedro Di Spagna (general practitioner).

Other defendants in the case include Leopoldo Luque (Maradona’s personal physician until his death), Agustina Cosachov (psychiatrist), Nancy Forlini (doctor and coordinator of “Swiss Medical”), and Ricardo Almirón (nurse).