COPS have today swooped on the house of Diego Maradona’s personal doctor amid reports the legend’s death is being treated as manslaughter.
The searches of personal physician Leopoldo Luque’s property began this morning – four days after the 60-year-old died at his Buenos Aires home.
Diego Maradona is seen shaking hands with his doctor Leopoldo Luque after undergoing surgery to remove a blood clot from his brainCredit: AFP or licensors
Maradona was found dead by his nurse at noon on Wednesday morningCredit: AFP or licensors
The home of Maradona’s personal doctor Leopoldo Luque is being searched, it was reportedCredit: Reuters
The football legend’s death is now being investigatedCredit: Getty Images – Getty
Prosecutors behind the order, said to have been sanctioned by a judge, are understood to be trying to establish whether the football legend was the victim of medical negligence.
The dramatic twist in the probe into Maradona’s death followed overnight reports he had rowed with personal physician Leopoldo Luque in the days before he suffered heart failure last Wednesday.
Luque is at his home while the search on the outskirts of Buenos Aires takes place.
Local TV stations are broadcasting images of police entering Luque’s clinic.
The searches were ordered after Maradona’s daughters Dalma and Giannina gave statements on Saturday and questioned whether the medication their father was receiving was appropriate.
Argentinian media are reporting Luque could be questioned as an ‘imputado’, someone who is under official investigation on suspicion of possible mala praxis or negligence, rather than a simple witness.
There is no suggestion at this stage he will be charged with any crime at this stage of the probe.
Maradona’s lawyer Matias Morla last week demanded a top-level probe into the emergency response to the retired footballer’s death.
Matias Morla said the first ambulance took more than half an hour to reach the rented house north of Buenos Aires where the former Naples and Barcelona star suffered heart failure. He called the delay a “criminal idiocy.”
Mr Morla also complained Maradona had not received any medical checks in the 12 hours before he died, appearing to heap more pressure on the former footballer’s personal physician Leopoldo Luque.
Pressure has been put on Leopoldo LuqueCredit: AFP – Getty
The football legend’s death sparked tributes from across the globeCredit: Getty Images – Getty
Maradona’s lawyer Matias Morla last week demanded a top-level probe into the emergency response to his deathCredit: Getty Images – Getty
Maradona told his relative ‘I’m not feeling well’ before his deathCredit: Getty Images – Getty
It was later reported the first ambulance took 11 minutes to reach the private San Andres gated estate near Buenos Aires Maradona moved to after leaving hospital on November 11 following his brain blood clot op.
The legendary Argentine footballer was pictured with Luque after undergoing brain surgery – just two weeks before he suffered a fatal cardiac arrest.
On Saturday it emerged Maradona’s nurse had admitted she lied about an early-morning check-up on him.
The sensational confession added more mystery to the circumstances surrounding his untimely death.
Initial reports pointed to a 24-year-old nephew who was staying with him at the San Andres home being the last person to see him alive over breakfast the day Diego died.
He was said to have told his relative: “I’m not feeling well” before going back to bed and dying in his sleep before investigators were told he had never got up on Wednesday to eat anything.
Tributes had poured in from around the world following the death of the legendary Argentine footballer.
Maradona played for Argentinos Juniors, Boca Juniors, Barcelona, Napoli, Sevilla and Newell’s Old Boys during his illustrious career.
He scored 34 goals in 91 appearances for Argentina before he retired from professional football in 1997.
Maradona had an illustrious career Credit: Getty Images – Getty
The coffin of Argentine football star Diego Maradona at Casa Rosada, Buenos AiresCredit: AP:Associated Press
A man holds a shirt as fans wait to enter the Government House to pay tribute to late football legendCredit: AFP or licensors
Napoli fans bid farewell to Diego Maradona with incredible ‘train’ of fire as they light flares in honour of their greatest ever player
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
