Overview
- The National Criminal Appeals Court’s Sala VII confirmed the indictments of ex-lawyer Matías Morla, two of Diego Maradona’s sisters and other defendants, with the ruling signed by Judges Juan Esteban Cicciaro, Rodolfo Pociello Argerich and Ricardo Matías Pinto.
- Morla, Maximiliano Pomargo and Sergio Garmendia remain charged as coauthors of fraud and fraudulent administration, while Rita Mabel and Claudia Nora Maradona and notary Sandra Iampolsky are accused as necessary participants.
- The court left in place a preventive embargo totaling 2,000 million pesos (a little over US$1.3 million), calculated on alleged profits from exploiting Maradona’s marks, currency effects over time, potential damages and legal costs.
- Citing IGJ records, the panel endorsed the view that Sattvica S.A. functioned as a mere corporate shell and rejected the defense claim that Maradona intended his sisters to control the marks, noting testamentary acts are personal and non-delegable.
- The case began with a complaint by Dalma and Gianinna Maradona, who submitted documents pointing to offshore money movements tied to brand deals, and both publicly welcomed the ruling after the defendants’ appeals were denied.