Cuban woman accuses Diego Maradona of abuse and rape

During
a
Monday
press
conference
in
Buenos
Aires,
Alvarez,
who
now
lives
in
the
United
States,
also
said
that
Fidel
Castro’s
government
and
Maradona’s
close
associates
covered
up
what
happened
during
her
nearly
five-year
relationship
with
the
football
idol
on
the
island.

The
football
legend
spent
several
years
in
Cuba
to
treat
his
cocaine
addiction
at
the
invitation
of
Castro
himself
after
suffering
an
overdose
that
left
him
on
the
verge
of
death.

Alvarez,
37,
arrived
in
Buenos
Aires
last
week
to
testify
before
the
Argentine
justice
system
as
part
of
a
preliminary
investigation
into
alleged
human
trafficking
for
sexual
purposes.

Although
Maradona
died
in
November
last
year,
the
woman’s
legal
representatives
are
targeting
close
associates
of
the
former
footballer,
such
as
his
former
manager
Guillermo
Coppola
and
other
Argentinean
friends
who
accompanied
him
during
his
stay
in
Cuba
in
the
early
2000s.

Lawyers
for
the
defendants
were
present
during
Alvarez’s
statement
Thursday
when
she
gave
her
statement
for
the
preliminary
investigation.

Ignacio
Trimarco,
a
lawyer
for
Omar
Suárez,
a
friend
of
Maradona,
told
reporters,
his
client
Suarez
“did
not
participate
in
any
transfer
maneuver,
reception
here
in
Argentina
or
with
the
crime
that
is
being
imputed
that
in
principle
is
human
trafficking.”

Meanwhile,
Fernando
Burlando,
who
represents
Carlos
Ferro
Viera,
said
that
Alvarez’s
testimony
“was
a
compendium
of
accusations
more
than
anything
to
Diego
Maradona.”

Coppola
told
the
media
that
he
was
a
“witness
to
a
love
story”
between
Alvarez
and
Maradona,
and
that
no
crime
was
committed.

The
former
representative
of
Maradona
also
said
he
did
not
know
“that
it
was
an
ordeal,
that
it
was
so
hard”
for
Alvarez.

“At
this
point
I
don’t
have
to
clean
myself
from
anything,
I
know
how
I
am
and
how
I
handle
myself,”
he
said.

In
November
2001,
Maradona
travelled
with
Alvarez
to
Argentina
to
participate
in
his
tribute
match
at
Boca
Juniors’ stadium
and
taking
advantage
of
her
stay,
the
young
woman
had
cosmetic
surgery.

The
Argentine
justice
system
has
not
yet
decided
whether
it
will
pursue
a
case
to
investigate
Álvarez’s
complaint.

According
to
the
lawyer
Fernando
Míguez,
head
of
the
Foundation
for
Peace
and
Climate
Change,
an
official
of
the
Argentine
embassy
in
Havana
managed
to
take
the
young
woman
out
of
Cuba
with
Castro’s
apparent
consent
and
that
after
passing
through
migration
without
anyone
asking
her
how
old
she
was
or
where
she
was
going
to
stay,
“the
head
of
Maradona’s
custody
transferred
her
to
the
hotel”.