Police raid house of Diego Maradona’s doctor as star’s death investigated

The football star’s turbulent life has taken a further twist: police have raided his personal physician’s home as the death is treated as possible culpable homicide.

Doctor Leopoldo Luque with Diego Maradona two weeks before the footballer’s death. Conflicting accounts of what happened on the morning of the star’s death are at the centre of the investigation. Picture: AFP

The turbulent life of Diego Maradona has taken a further twist with an investigation over his death in Argentina.

Police searched the home of his doctor, Leopoldo Luque, as part of an investigation into the treatment and drugs prescribed to the former footballer, who died of a heart attack on Wednesday. Officers in Buenos Aires are treating the death as possible culpable homicide.

“They are trying to find a scapegoat,” Dr Luque, 39, said yesterday (Sunday) as he denied any wrongdoing. He claimed that he was “absolutely shocked” by the events. Broadcasters shared images of police raiding his property on the outskirts of the capital city while he was at home.

Police stand outside the home of late Argentine football legend Diego Maradona's doctor, Leopoldo Luque, as it is searched. Picture: AFP

Two of Maradona’s daughters, Dalma and Giannina, raised doubts in statements to police about the “cocktail of pills” their father had been taking.

A judge issued a search warrant to determine whether there were “irregularities” during his treatment.

Maradona, 60, was recovering from brain surgery in a villa his advisers had rented in a gated community in Tigre, just north of Buenos Aires, close to Giannina, 31, and his former wife. The family had complained about his medical care. Matias Morla, the family lawyer, has demanded a full investigation into the length of time that an ambulance took to arrive at the house and the care his client received after his discharge from hospital more than three weeks ago.

After decades of health problems, mostly the result of drug addiction, Maradona saw Dr Luque last month about a head injury. A blood clot was removed from his brain on November 3.

The operation by Dr Luque was hailed as a success, but doubts remained. A live-in nurse and a cook gave testimonials that Dr Luque argued with his patient six days before the heart attack.

Dr Luque said: “You want to know what I am responsible for? For having loved him, for having taken care of him.” The doctor posted a photo with Maradona when he left hospital. Conflicting accounts of what happened on the morning of the death are at the centre of the investigation.

The nightshift nurse said at first that she saw him in bed that morning then claimed that she was “made to lie” about a morning check-up for the health report filed by Dr Luque.

When a psychologist and psychiatrist arrived at 11.30am, they found Maradona unresponsive. Shortly after noon at least nine ambulances arrived but all attempts to save him failed.

The Times