An Argentine court has rejected the inclusion of an unreleased video showing Diego Maradona receiving a birthday call from former President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, in the ongoing trial over his death.
The San Isidro Court Oral in lo Criminal N°7, composed of judges Alberto Gaig, Pablo Rolon, and Alberto Ortolani, blocked the request during the testimony of Vanesa Morla on July 6, 2026.
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Plaintiff attorney Mario Baudry had presented the footage, recorded on October 30, 2020, to demonstrate alleged manipulation of Maradona by his inner circle weeks before his death.
The judges ruled the video fell outside the procedural scope of the trial, which investigates potential simple homicide with eventual intent regarding Maradona's medical care.
In the video, Kirchner tells Maradona: "I wanted to tell you that I love you very much.
I wanted to call you on these 60 because you are one of the few Argentines who has only given joy to the people and has raised the Argentine flag highest in the world."
Maradona responded briefly from his residence in Brandsen, wearing the official sports attire of Gimnasia y Esgrima La Plata, where he was serving as head coach.
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The conversation continued as Maradona prepared to attend a public birthday homage at the Juan Carmelo Zerillo stadium, just hours before medical examinations detected his subdural hematoma.
The visual material showed Maradona drinking an energy drink and smoking a cigar while Vanesa Morla held the speakerphone.
The legal representation of Veronica Ojeda and Dieguito Fernando claimed the leak provides critical context on Maradona's real psychophysical condition before his relocation to Tigre.
The prosecution teams maintain that tracking this timeline helps verify the strictness of medical controls implemented by the defense teams.
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The oral trial continues in the San Isidro courts to determine the final criminal responsibilities for the athlete's death.
