Argentine authorities have ordered the seizure of assets belonging to two sisters of late football legend Diego Maradona, his former lawyer, and three others, in connection with an alleged scheme to mismanage the star’s brand.
According to court documents seen by AFP, the Buenos Aires appellate court indicted Maradona’s ex-attorney, Matías Morla, along with two of his aides, on suspicion of fraudulent administration of the player’s assets.
Also facing charges as accomplices are Maradona’s sisters, Rita and Claudia, as well as a notary public.
The court directed that assets worth $1.34 million (about 2 billion pesos) be frozen across the group.
Maradona’s children, who argue that the brand and its subsidiaries should have automatically passed to them upon their father’s death in 2020, accuse Morla of fronting a sham management company to retain control.
Judges agreed, ruling that Maradona himself remained in charge of his fortune until his passing, meaning ownership should “immediately revert to his heirs.”
The legal battle was first initiated in 2021 by Dalma and Giannina, two of Maradona’s daughters, before his other three children joined the case.
Maradona, widely regarded as one of football’s greatest players, died at 60 from heart failure and acute pulmonary edema while recovering from brain surgery.
A separate case probing possible medical negligence in his death is pending retrial, after the initial proceedings collapsed earlier this year when the presiding judge was forced to withdraw over ties to a clandestine documentary.
