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Dr. Mario Schiter, who accompanied Diego Armando Maradona during his rehabilitation in Cuba in 2000, testified on Thursday before the Oral Criminal Court No. 3 in San Isidro as part of the trial regarding the Argentine star's death, providing details about Diego's chronic cardiac condition and the medical warnings that were ignored weeks before his passing.
According to local media, Schiter testified for over four hours and questioned the decision to move Maradona to a private residence after his surgery for a subdural hematoma, instead of transferring him to a specialized center.
"Our opinion was that the patient was not discharged clinically, but rather from the sanatorium," the doctor stated, making it clear that he never approved the transfer to a private home.
Alongside other professionals, Schiter recommended referring Diego to a tertiary rehabilitation center, equipped with doctors, nurses, and continuous monitoring.
"The recommendation was made in that meeting. Our suggestion was a third-level rehabilitation center," he insisted before the court.
However, the proposal was rejected.
"They returned and told me they did not accept the proposal and that he was going to go with a home confinement device," declared Schiter, who clarified that he had never been involved in the organization of that system nor did he know the doctors who were part of it.
The doctor also revealed that he was called by a manager from Swiss Medical on November 4 or 5, 2020, just days after Luque operated on Maradona, to provide a second opinion on his condition at the Olivos Clinic.
"They called me because they wanted me to give my opinion regarding psychomotor excitement," he explained.
However, they did not allow him to see the former footballer in person: "I asked if I could go in to give him a hug and they told me preferably not."
Schiter also clarified that he never had contact with Leopoldo Luque, identified as Diego's primary doctor: "I did not know Luque. I never had a conversation with him."
Regarding Maradona's heart condition, Schiter —who acted as an observer during the autopsy— described a serious and chronic situation.
"The heart was enlarged and showed signs of structural heart disease," he detailed, pointing out fibrosis, microinfarcts, and global dilation of asymmetrical chambers.
It also observed fluid in the pericardium, pleura, and abdomen, which was interpreted as congestive heart failure.
"There was fluid in the pericardium, in the pleura, in the abdomen. When one sees fluid with very similar characteristics in different areas: it is congestive heart failure," he explained.
Schiter's connection to Maradona dated back to 1999, when the footballer suffered an acute cocaine overdose in Punta del Este, Uruguay, which led to a severe ventricular arrhythmia known as "torcida de punta."
It was then that Schiter was called upon to transfer Diego to Buenos Aires and, subsequently, to accompany him during his rehabilitation in Cuba, where he set up intensive therapy on board the plane due to the critical nature of the case.
"Since 2004, I had no further contact with the patient until 2020," the doctor clarified.
This second oral trial, which began last Wednesday in San Isidro, replaces the first one, annulled in May 2025 due to the scandal involving former judge Julieta Makintach, who secretly recorded hearings for a documentary.
Seven healthcare professionals are facing charges of manslaughter with eventual intent, with sentences ranging from eight to 25 years in prison.
"Latent congestive heart failure is that it can decompensate at any moment. There is no reason not to treat it for life," concluded Schiter before the court.
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