Maradona sisters, lawyer face trial over handling of star's brand

A court on Tuesday ordered two of Diego Maradona's sisters, his lawyer and three other people to stand trial for "fraudulent administration" of the late idol's brand.

According to the court order, the accused will be tried on charges of "defrauding the interests of Maradona's legitimate heirs," a reference to his five children.

Maradona died in 2020 at the age of 60 while recovering at home from surgery for a brain clot. 

A separate court is hearing a negligence case brought against his medical team.

The case over the management of his brand evolved out of a row between the star's sisters and children.

His former lawyer, Matías Morla, and two of his aides are accused of profiting from the "Diego Maradona" brand and its derivatives which, according to his children, should have been transferred to them after his death.

His sisters Rita and Claudia Maradona, along with a notary, are charged as accomplices in the scheme. 

According to the investigation, acting on Maradona’s instructions and in order to shield the star’s assets from the Italian tax authorities, Morla created a company in 2015 called “Sattvica S.A.” to manage the trademarks.

Morla and another defendant, Maximiliano Pomargo, served as directors of the company, but acted under Maradona’s orders.

When the icon died in November 2020, Morla was required to transfer ownership of the firm. But instead of handing it over to his children, he allegedly carried out a “share transfer” in favour of Rita and Claudia Maradona between September 2022 and August 2023.
A lawyer for one of Maradona's daughters told AFP that Morla ran the business "for himself" directly after Maradona's death before later handing control to the players' sisters.

Prosecutors say that the star's assets should have immediately reverted to his heirs after his death.

Felix Linfante, lawyer for Jana Maradona, one of the daughters, said that the player's trademarks were worth "around US$100 million."

“Morla, flouting the courts, exploited them for himself until the end of 2021 and then transferred them to the sisters, who continued exploiting them until December 29 last year,” said Linfante.

The court has imposed a precautionary measure preventing the accused from continuing to operate the trademarks, he added.

– TIMES/AFP