Did he lie about Diego’s final days? Maradona’s bodyguard accused of perjury

Diego Maradona’s ex-bodyguard Julio Coria is arrested for perjury during trial probing medical negligence in the football legend’s death.

The case involving Argentina football legend Diego Maradona’s death has taken a dramatic turn after former bodyguard, Julio Cesar Coria, was arrested on suspicion of perjury during the high-profile trial examining the soccer legend’s final days. 

Coria, who had been called to testify due to his close relationship with Maradona, is accused of lying under oath while giving evidence in the ongoing trial in Buenos Aires.

The arrest was ordered by the trial judges following a brief recess in court following  public prosecutor Patricio Ferrari alleging Coria had made false statements regarding his relationship with Diego’s doctor, Leopoldo Luque.

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According to Daily Mail, the former bodyguard claimed he had not communicated with Luque before Maradona’s death and denied being his friend but Ferrari presented WhatsApp messages that appeared to contradict this.

The messages included casual conversations about Maradona’s health and even an invitation to a barbecue hinting a closer relationship than Coria admitted. The prosecution further accused him of changing his version of events about attempts to revive the football icon on the day of his death.

Inconsistencies spark arrest in high-stakes trial

Coria, who was at Maradona’s house in Tigre on November 25, 2020 had initially told investigators that psychiatrist Agustina Cosachov had not performed CPR.

However, while  in court, he reversed this statement and said she had tried to revive Maradona. 

 The case, which began on March 11 and is expected to continue into the summer, is centered around whether Maradona received grossly inadequate medical care in the days leading up to his death.

Seven medical professionals are on trial for homicide accused of acting in a way that could have foreseeably led to the footballer’s death without taking measures to prevent it. If convicted, they face between eight and 25 years in prison under Argentine law. 

‘House of Horror’ claims shock courtroom

Reports by Dail Mail  add that in an emotional opening statement, prosecutor Ferrari referred to the home where Maradona spent his final days as a "House of Horror," citing it was completely unfit for the care he required after brain surgery. 

The case was upgraded from manslaughter to homicide following a damning medical board report, which stated the health professionals involved acted "inadequately, deficiently and recklessly." Luque, the neurosurgeon and longtime friend of Maradona, has denied wrongdoing and insists he did everything in his power to care for the star.

The court has since decided not to continue streaming the proceedings online, after initially allowing public viewing of the first session. 

Maradona’s daughter Jana testified in court this week exposing the fact that her sisters Dalma and Gianinna had wanted their father admitted to a clinic, but that Luque rejected the idea.

Coria’s arrest marks a new development in a case still far from over — one that continues to shine a harsh light on the final days of a man regarded by many as the greatest footballer of all time.