"I am innocent," said the former personal physician of Diego Maradona, testifying for the first time in the trial over the circumstances of the legendary Argentine's death in 2020. Neurosurgeon Leopoldo Luque, one of the main defendants, emphasized: "I want to say that I am innocent and that I am very sorry for his death." The trial is being held in San Isidro, near Buenos Aires, Argentina, ten months after the first trial was annulled due to scandal. A total of seven healthcare professionals, including doctors, psychiatrists, psychologists, and nurses, are accused of "intentional homicide with possible intent," meaning negligence with the knowledge that it could lead to death. All deny the charges, claiming they are not responsible, while facing sentences ranging from 8 to 25 years in prison. Maradona died on November 25, 2020, at the age of 60, from combined cardiorespiratory failure with pulmonary edema, while recovering in a private home after surgery for a head hematoma. The 44-year-old Luque testified for the first time in both this and the previous annulled trial in 2025, which was interrupted after revelations that one of the judges was secretly participating in the production of a documentary about the case. In his testimony, which lasted about 30 minutes, he defended, like the other defendants, the stance that Maradona's death was natural and, to some extent, inevitable. He even mentioned the forensic findings that speak of chronic heart insufficiency with dilated cardiomyopathy, worsened by lack of treatment and aggravated by toxic substances. "I am not giving my opinion, I am stating what is said in the reports," he emphasized. He, who had a close relationship with Maradona in the final years of his life, had presented himself in previous testimonies as one of the key people making decisions about his health. However, he clarified that he was not the one who performed the head surgery, while emphasizing that he was not his treating physician in 2007, when, as he said, he stopped receiving cardiological treatment. At the same time, he distanced himself from the choice of home hospitalization, stressing that it was not within his responsibilities as a neurosurgeon: "I had made it clear. I was not a clinical doctor, nor a psychiatrist or psychologist." On the prosecution's side, prosecutor Patricio Ferrari argued that Maradona's recovery occurred in "inhumane and unsuitable conditions," accusing the medical team of ignoring repeated warnings and essentially abandoning him. Luque also dismissed the scenario of prolonged agony before death, which has been presented by forensic experts and the prosecution, emphasizing that this contradicts the causes of death. The trial continues with two sessions per week and is expected to last about three months, keeping alive one of the most sensitive and controversial issues related to the end of the iconic Diego.