the first two hearings in the trial for the death of diego armando maradona. There were 24 hours left until the start of day 3 when the chat group was activated “DAM Trial”consists of Maximiliano Savarino, Veronica di Tommaso and juliet mackintuckthe third Oral Criminal Court (TOC) judge in charge of this process.
“Good morning. The class spoke to me and asked about the issue of cameras that July authorized. We were talking about that and we need to talk. I’m in court right now, but please let me know if you can. I’ll take a break to make sure I’m not late before tomorrow’s hearing. July, if you have permission from the court, please show it to me and it will be added to the case.” we avoid problems” was the message Di Tommaso sent at 11:55 a.m. on Monday, March 17th.
ezequiel class He is the Undersecretary of Communications and Media at the Supreme Court of Buenos Aires; “camera” Di Tommaso mentioned The one that entered the courtroom on March 11th belonged to a film crew.the day the ill-fated trial began where it was debated whether there was criminal responsibility for the deaths of 10 people. It is now known that this camera was part of the. divine justice, A documentary that tried to convey an alternative to the interrupted debate, with great participation from Judge Mackintuck.since last Thursday He faces a jury in La Plata that could end his career as a judge.
Four minutes after that message, on March 17, Mackintuck replied to a colleague. “Not today” and “If you have a topic you would like to discuss with the class, please write to me” were the first two messages, sent at 11:59.
And at 12:01, he continued: “I’m ready. I’ve already talked to Ezekiel and I’ll be on standby in case he needs anything. Anyway, I’ve also been talking to the court to make sure we don’t have any problems. Is there a court presentation or something that we have to attend?”
Six minutes later, the magistrate made the booking. “And then I’ll add to them to calm them down. Of course they won’t film you. They’re not going to divulge the evidence either. I will give him the formality that the class requires, but the court did not require any.”.
The next message came from Savarino, who presided over the courtroom, at 12:11 p.m. However, he did not mention the camera issue. “So far, they have not presented anything. We have been in touch with something,” he said of the case. “Furthermore, we have incorporated defendant (Ricardo) Almiron’s notice of what was settled on Friday (March 14), and we record that we have received it accordingly.”
Six minutes later, Di Tommaso wrote: “You’ll find out tomorrow, I’m still on trial.”
For Mackintuck, Small-talk exchanges with colleagues indicate that Mr. Savarino and Mr. Di Tommaso were aware of the shooting. On the day the debate was declared invalid, they said they knew nothing about the documentary.
The reference to the class in the message exchange, as he learned, nationwas watching a recording of the first hearing that his team had made for live streaming of trial opening guidelines when he discovered the camera, which he was not authorized to access. The Undersecretary of Communications and Media of the Buenos Aires Supreme Court then contacted the court.
At last Friday’s hearing, McIntuck’s defense team was led by an attorney. Dario Saldaño and Nicholas Urrutiademanded that the cell phone used by Judge Mackintuck be opened in front of the trial jury so that all messages could be known and incorporated into evidence. Then he showed me his cell phone.
As explained by a person close to Mr. Mackintuck’s defense, the request was denied, so Mr. Saldaño left a letter restating the request before leaving.
Mr. Savarino and Mr. Di Tommaso will testify as witnesses today. Testimony before the two jurors was scheduled for last Friday.
“I promise to tell the truth“Mr. Savarino said this at the beginning of his statement, but after the first question, Analia Duarte, Attorney General of NecocheaWhile I was in charge of the prosecutor’s office, there was a power outage, followed by a water leak. Drops of water fell near where the judge was sitting. The chairs and tables that served as desks had to be moved. The hearing was adjourned and the statements of Mr. Savarino and Mr. Di Tommaso had to be postponed.
“I will go as many times as I want. There are many things I would like to declare.”Said Savarino before departing.
important day
Savarino said this on May 27 last year, when the debate in which the seven people accused in Maradona’s death were being tried was declared null and void.The trial proceeded smoothly for all but one person.the person who was deleted. ‘Evidently he was referring to Judge Mackintuck.
Judge Di Tommaso took his turn to speak before concluding the hearing. She said flatly:Someone made a mistake and I have to keep explaining, but that’s not justice. justice is undefiled“While the judge was saying these words, Mr. Maradona’s two daughters, Dalma and Gianinna, broke down in tears.
“I wish you all the best and that you each receive the justice you deserve.” added Di Tommaso.
That day, Savarino and Di Tommaso were lenient in their criticism of Mackintuck’s performance. They repeatedly emphasized that the decision to declare a mistrial was solely due to the role played by their colleague, the second member of the TOC, who for several years did not have the three-member structure that it should have, so he took part in the discussions to complete the court that had been drawn up to carry out historical arguments.
“From the day we had to intervene in this case, we were engaged in the task of carrying out a process of this nature with particularities, which for us was just a trial, but which clearly had an overwhelming public response. we rose to the occasion. People make mistakes and do wrong things, but they do not represent justice. When we share that message publicly, people end up looking for justice elsewhere, not where it should be sought. “Neither of us believes in anything other than that we are human beings placed to fulfill our duties in the same way that lawyers, prosecutors and defense attorneys fulfill their duties,” Judge Di Tommaso said on behalf of himself and the court’s president.
“hidden camera”
Savarino also said:we were being filmed with hidden cameras. I heard a false story from my colleague (Di Tommaso). We have nothing to do with filming or documentaries. I will not allow anyone to falsely accuse me. Di Tommaso and I are members of the same court (TOC No. 3). We have been without a judge for five years. Mackintuck is a member of another court, the Second Oral Criminal Court. We have nothing to do with filming. It is shameful to say that I knew, that I saw someone recording the first trial. I had a career of effort and it started as an achievement.“The President of the Court reiterated the following.”Di Tommaso and I have nothing to do with the documentary”.
In response, Di Tommaso said:I love my job and value it very much. I can’t stay silent. People expect others to not talk about their work, or to compliment them if they do. When I hear that my last name is associated with scandal, deceit, suspicion, ego, embarrassment, shame…I don’t deserve my last name to be anything close to those words. I am the first professional in my family. My parents made a huge effort to help me attend a public university. I’m not an official’s daughter, or anyone’s daughter, or anyone’s niece.“It was an obvious allusion to Mackintuck, the daughter of San Ysidro’s historic judge.
dismissal
The jury trial for Mackintuck began last Thursday. In his charging guidelines, Prosecutor Duarte argued before the jury: will request the judge’s removal from office And he said:The indictment seeks to prove that the judge, in his capacity as a judge, personally decided to participate in a video for commercial exploitation in an audiovisual project about a trial determining the responsibility of a man and a woman allegedly connected to the death of Diego Maradona.”.
Mr. Mackintuck was asked to make the following statements at the hearing: “I wanted to present the best image of justice. I served as judge from the beginning of the trial. I never imagined it would do so much damage to justice. It was the exact opposite of what I wanted.””.
And he added: “We apologize for damaging the image of justice.” Among other issues.
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