Buenos Aires (AFP) – Two of late football great Diego Maradona’s daughters on Thursday denied charges of alleged digital harassment in a case relating to a long-running feud with their father’s former lawyer.
Dalma and Gianinna Maradona are accused of harassing Matias Morla with whom they are embroiled in an inheritance dispute.
In a letter submitted to the public prosecutor in Buenos Aires, lawyers for the sisters denied the accusations against them and claimed they were the ones to have “suffered public derision … from the one who is now trying to assume the role of victim.”
If found guilty of the online harassment, which relates to social media posts the sisters made about Morla, they could be fined, ordered to perform community service or even spend up to five days in jail.
They have accused Morla of fraud and fraudulent administration of their father’s brand and image rights.
In March, a company owned by Morla was temporarily barred from using Maradona brands such as Diego Maradona, Maradona, D10S, El Diez, La mano de Dios (the hand of God) and El Diego, but that ban was lifted by a court last week.
Following that decision, the sisters again accused Morla of “defrauding” their father out of his brand and image rights.
The Maradona brands are registered officially as owned by Sattvica S.A., a company owned by Morla and a brother-in-law.
The company was set up in 2015, six months after Maradona signed over his brand and image rights to Morla.
Maradona died of a heart attack on November 25 last year aged 60 while recovering from an operation to remove a blood clot from his head.
In a separate investigation, authorities are looking into the health treatment he received to determine whether there was any neglect or malpractice, following a complaint by Maradona’s family.
