Arrest warrant for Jetset owner

[PJP]

Ministerio Público solicitó orden de arresto contra Antonio Espaillat por tragedia del Jet Set | InfoEnn

SANTO DOMINGO, RD. – El Ministerio Público ha solicitado una orden de arresto contra Antonio Espaillat, propietario de la discoteca Jet Set, tras nuevas pruebas que lo vinculan directamente con el colapso del techo del establecimiento ocurrido el pasado 8 de abril, hecho que dejó 233 fallecidos...

infoelnuevonorte.com

 

[PJP]

The Public Prosecutor's Office has requested an arrest warrant against Antonio Espaillat for the Jet Set tragedy.

SANTO DOMINGO, DR. – The Public Ministry has requested an arrest warrant for Antonio Espaillat, owner of the Jet Set nightclub, following new evidence directly linking him to the collapse of the establishment's roof on April 8, which left 233 dead and more than 180 injured.

The information was confirmed by criminal lawyer Félix Portes, who legally represents several of the families affected by the tragedy. Portes explained that the establishment operates under the name Jet Set Club, registered as Inversiones E y L, SRL, with Commercial Registry 757844, and not in Mr. Espaillat's personal capacity.

In addition to the arrest warrant, the Public Prosecutor's Office has frozen the company's assets as a precautionary measure to prevent any attempt at transfer or liquidation while the criminal and civil proceedings are ongoing.

To date, 39 complaints have been filed alleging involuntary manslaughter and damages, and new evidence, including testimony from former employees, suggests that Espaillat may have had prior knowledge of the roof's structural deterioration, failing to take action to prevent the tragedy.

Attorney Félix Portes has been one of the strongest voices in this process, also pointing out the potential liability of the Dominican State for failures in the supervision and oversight of these establishments. In this regard, he recalled Article 148 of the Constitution, which establishes the State's obligation to respond for damages caused by the negligence of its officials.

Espaillat's arrest marks a significant turn in the case, which could escalate into broader implications for corporate and state liability in the Dominican Republic.

 

[Ecoman1949]

The Public Prosecutor's Office has requested an arrest warrant against Antonio Espaillat for the Jet Set tragedy.

SANTO DOMINGO, DR. – The Public Ministry has requested an arrest warrant for Antonio Espaillat, owner of the Jet Set nightclub, following new evidence directly linking him to the collapse of the establishment's roof on April 8, which left 233 dead and more than 180 injured.

The information was confirmed by criminal lawyer Félix Portes, who legally represents several of the families affected by the tragedy. Portes explained that the establishment operates under the name Jet Set Club, registered as Inversiones E y L, SRL, with Commercial Registry 757844, and not in Mr. Espaillat's personal capacity.

In addition to the arrest warrant, the Public Prosecutor's Office has frozen the company's assets as a precautionary measure to prevent any attempt at transfer or liquidation while the criminal and civil proceedings are ongoing.

To date, 39 complaints have been filed alleging involuntary manslaughter and damages, and new evidence, including testimony from former employees, suggests that Espaillat may have had prior knowledge of the roof's structural deterioration, failing to take action to prevent the tragedy.

Attorney Félix Portes has been one of the strongest voices in this process, also pointing out the potential liability of the Dominican State for failures in the supervision and oversight of these establishments. In this regard, he recalled Article 148 of the Constitution, which establishes the State's obligation to respond for damages caused by the negligence of its officials.

Espaillat's arrest marks a significant turn in the case, which could escalate into broader implications for corporate and state liability in the Dominican Republic.

The potential legal implication of state liability is a more significant turn. The President was quick to do the Pontius Pilate routine and wash his government‘s hands of legal liability by stating there were no formal government agency procedures in place to inspect privately owned structures. I still doubt the lawyers representing the plaintiffs will hang this on the government’s shoulders because of the way the DR justice system works. This is going to get interesting!

 

[JD Jones]

BTW, this is a picture of seach efforts you've probably never seen:

Notice the beams with little or no rebar, and the pieces of the roof on top of the beams, again with virtually no rebar either.

There should be a spiderweb of rebar all over the place, but there is hardly any at all.

No wonder they wanted the debris to disappear.

 

[Juan Bosch]

Quiet a few upper middle class to rich folks perished there...this case will not be easily buried...looking forward to seeing some sacred cows get their due...

 

[PJT]

Antonio Espaillat was transferred to a cell in the Palacio de Justicia, Ciudad Nueva. ¿Is it be expected his cell will be similar to a studio apartment with amenities?

Regards,

PJT

 

[johne]

Quiet a few upper middle class to rich folks perished there...this case will not be easily buried...looking forward to seeing some sacred cows get their due...

I think a lot of people will be spot lighted in their jobs of responsibility. For example, propinas are common in the DR to get things done,but how much does it take to bring bribery into play? Plus 200 lives is bigger than that world wide construction scandal a few years back. There are a number of actions being taken against "the government") Whos dat? They are being brought in because they will go to jail also. They will be found guilty for overlooking the overload on the roof. Not big shots, but many people that contributed to the deaths of hundreds.
I'm sure many posters are thinking they all will get off. Not this time. Too many families that will never let this go..

 

[johne]

Antonio Espaillat was transferred to a cell in the Palacio de Justicia, Ciudad Nueva. ¿Is it be expected his cell will be similar to a studio apartment with amenities?

Regards,

PJT

Anybody that thinks they can treat him like a drug kingpin is making a mistake IMO. He is the poster child of killing 233 people and as such will have media coverage equal to no other.

 

[jd426]

My biggest problem with this , from what I recall Reading about it when it happened is they had just recently REPAIRED that Same Roof ,took the time, and spent Some Money to FIX it ..but they did not do it right.. they did not do it properly , They actually should have REPLACED it completely just from the details given and it would be problem free for Decades .
That Roof was a very poor design and always the cause of problems , not to mention grossly overloaded over capacity.
How much would that have Cost ? Who decided against this ? was it for $ reasons ,or they just listened to the Flunky Engineer who signed off on it .
Those people all need to go to PRISON .. because how many other ticking time Bombs like this are out there ..
Spending $ just to " maintain" a building is hard sometimes . we all do it with our Homes and buildings ..

But this Dominican Mindset of always taking the Cheap Route, is just absolutely disturbing , and it has to be stopped.
I dont think anything Intentional/ Criminal , happened here.. its just their Culture of cutting corners really bit them in the Arse this time , and even their own family and friends paid the ultimate price .. Truly a Sad Story .
Blaming just Owner alone will not solve it tho. Start with the Engineers and managers who wanted to look good by Saving $$ or just not caring.
Someone mentioned Bribes ? that would be a whole other layer .

 

[johne]

My biggest problem with this , from what I recall Reading about it when it happened is they had just recently REPAIRED that Same Roof ,took the time, and spent Some Money to FIX it ..but they did not do it right.. they did not do it properly , They actually should have REPLACED it completely just from the details given and it would be problem free for Decades .
That Roof was a very poor design and always the cause of problems , not to mention grossly overloaded over capacity.
How much would that have Cost ? Who decided against this ? was it for $ reasons ,or they just listened to the Flunky Engineer who signed off on it .
Those people all need to go to PRISON .. because how many other ticking time Bombs like this are out there ..
Spending $ just to " maintain" a building is hard sometimes . we all do it with our Homes and buildings ..

But this Dominican Mindset of always taking the Cheap Route, is just absolutely disturbing , and it has to be stopped.
I dont think anything Intentional/ Criminal , happened here.. its just their Culture of cutting corners really bit them in the Arse this time , and even their own family and friends paid the ultimate price .. Truly a Sad Story .
Blaming just Owner alone will not solve it tho. Start with the Engineers and managers who wanted to look good by Saving $$ or just not caring.
Someone mentioned Bribes ? that would be a whole other layer .

Be

 

[johne]

Be

A charge of "criminal neglect" if proven, was never intentional by the defendant. One can have good intentions but if 233 people died,that requires a jury to decide.

 

[CristoRey]

Quiet a few upper middle class to rich folks perished there...this case will not be easily buried...looking forward to seeing some sacred cows get their due...

I think with so many people dying at once, regardless of their socioeconomic (AI spelling) status this case wouldn't be easily dismissed/ forgotten.

 

[Manuel01]

This Guy (Espaillat) should have talked to me 10 years ago.
When a Employee sends you text or audio messages about things that are wrong in your Business, in state of telling you.
Fire him on the spot !
This Evidence against you never gets away.

 

[johne]

This Guy (Espaillat) should have talked to me 10 years ago.
When a Employee sends you text or audio messages about things that are wrong in your Business, in state of telling you.
Fire him on the spot !
This Evidence against you never gets away.

That is relevant to anything you post on social media. Always think future and how could it be possible that this would come up now?

 

[AlterEgo]

Made international news:

Owner of Dominican club whose roof collapsed and killed 236 is arrested along with his sister

The owner of an iconic nightclub in the Domincan Republic whose roof collapsed in April and killed 236 people has been arrested along with his sister.

apnews.com

 

[PJP]

He was foolish to return to or remain in the DR. He has the resources to go somewhere where he could not legally be touched but like many it seems he thought he was above the law. Perhaps he received bad legal advice. He's pretty screwed now.

 

[Manuel01]

He was foolish to return to or remain in the DR. He has the resources to go somewhere where he could not legally be touched but like many it seems he thought he was above the law. Perhaps he received bad legal advice. He's pretty screwed now.

There are not to many attractive Places to hide if you have an International Arrest Warrant.
Think about North Korea or Venezuela etc. Regardless the Sentence he might get, he will be out in three years or even less.
Not worth it to run away.

 

[JD Jones]

The guy is an intimate member of the Dominican elite society. Imagine running away from that lifelong bond.

I feel for his sister who was also detained for a short while until they hospitalized her.

 

[keepcoming]

He was foolish to return to or remain in the DR. He has the resources to go somewhere where he could not legally be touched but like many it seems he thought he was above the law. Perhaps he received bad legal advice. He's pretty screwed now.

He wasn't going to hide from this and he is very aware he is not above the law. He knew this was a possibility and did what he thought was right by coming back to the DR.

 

[johne]

He wasn't going to hide from this and he is very aware he is not above the law. He knew this was a possibility and did what he thought was right by coming back to the DR.

Correct He is a smart man with money and tons of contacts in the DR. Running away would have been the most stupid thing he could have done. In addition,he would have been judged guilty before he stood any chance to clear himself.