Owners of collapsed Dominican nightclub formally charged / Photo: MARTIN BERNETTI - AFP
Owners of collapsed Dominican nightclub formally charged
Prosecutors in the Dominican Republic filed manslaughter and other charges Friday against the owners of a nightclub where 236 people died earlier this year when the crowded building's roof collapsed.
The roof of the Jet Set club in the capital Santo Domingo caved in early on April 8, during a concert by merengue star Rubby Perez.
Perez, 69, was among the victims of the worst tragedy in the Caribbean nation in decades, as were two retired Major League Baseball players and a provincial governor.
Antonio Espaillat and his sister Maribel Espaillat were arrested over the disaster and later released on 50 million pesos (roughly $840,000) bail pending trial.
"The Espaillat siblings committed manslaughter and involuntary assault and battery," prosecutors of the Public Ministry said in a statement, claiming to have "hundreds of pieces of evidence" that point to the defendants' criminal responsibility.
Prosecutors allege the owners of the venue overloaded its roof by installing air conditioning equipment and water tanks, and "ignored internal warnings about the deterioration of the roof" in order to save costs.
In June, victims' relatives filed more than 50 civil lawsuits against the Espaillats, while pressure mounted on the authorities amid allegations of favoritism for the owners, whose family also owns a media conglomerate.
The charge of involuntary manslaughter carries a sentence of three months to two years in prison in the Caribbean country.
Involuntary assault and battery carries a similar sentence, depending on the severity of the damage caused.
The Dominican Republic has no law requiring privately-owned buildings to undergo safety inspections, a state of affairs President Luis Abinader has now vowed to change.
Z.Munif--al-Hayat
