Diego Maradona’s former bodyguard has been arrested in the investigation into the player’s death.
His final days have been described in court as a “House of Horrors”, and now Julio Cesar Coria — who worked closely with Diego — has been detained after a dramatic twist in the trial of seven medics accused over the star’s care.
Prosecutor Patricio Ferrari accused Coria of lying under oath, prompting trial judges to order his immediate arrest.
He had given evidence as a witness at the ongoing trial, which started on March 11 and is set to continue until the summer.
Coria, 48, had worked with Maradona for five years and was with him at the house in Tigre, near Buenos Aires, where he died of heart failure on November 25, 2020.
He attempted mouth-to-mouth resuscitation as the Napoli star lay unresponsive in bed.
Coria had been called as a witness due to his close relationship with the star – but Ferrari told the court he falsely claimed he hadn’t spoken to Diego’s doctor, Leopoldo Duque, before the death and wasn’t a friend of his.
WhatsApp messages revealed the pair had discussed Maradona’s health and even arranged a barbecue.
Coria also reportedly failed to mention in his initial statement that psychiatrist Agustina Cosachov had attempted CPR — only to later claim she had on the witness stand.
Judges ordered his arrest following a brief recess.
He was later seen being driven away in a patrol car, handcuffed in the back seat.
Luque, Cosachov, and five other health workers are on trial for homicide with possible intent, a charge carrying up to 25 years behind bars.
They include nurses Ricardo Almiron, Nancy Forlini, and Mariano Perroni; psychologist Carlos Diaz; and doctor Pedro Di Spagno.
An eighth person, nurse Gisella Dahiana Madrid, will be tried separately later this year.
The case was initially treated as manslaughter, but was reclassified to homicide after a damning medical board report found Maradona’s team had acted “inadequately, deficiently and recklessly.”
To convict, the court must find the medics acted in a way they knew could kill — and did nothing to stop it.