French artist and furniture maker Georges Antoine Thevenet faces a maximum two-year sentence if found guilty of involuntary manslaughter in a case of fumigation that turned into a fatal tragedy for two. Thevenet has been collaborating with the prosecutors.
The prosecutors presented the charges for involuntary manslaughter and violation of Ministry of Environment and Ministry of Public Health laws.
Thevenet used a highly toxic chemical QuickPhos 56 FT to fumigate a ninth floor apartment in Piantini. The apartment occupant was told to leave for at least 48 hours. The residents on the eighth floor were poisoned when the toxic gases penetrated their apartment. The family and first medical care treated the family for food intoxication.
The fumigation took place on Friday, 19 January. On Saturday, the mother and baby daughter died. The husband and son and the nanny are recovering.
The Torre Da Silva III was evacuated until the Ministry of Public Health and Firefighters clears it.
According to the prosecutor’s file on the case, Thevenet bought 480 tablets of aluminum phosphide ( Quickphos 56 FT) sold by Veterinarias y Agricolas SRL for RD$2,425.
The US National Institutes of Health indicates: “Aluminum phosphide (AlP) is a cheap, effective and commonly used pesticide. However, unfortunately, it is now one of the most common causes of poisoning among agricultural pesticides. It liberates lethal phosphine gas when it comes in contact either with atmospheric moisture or with hydrochloric acid in the stomach.”
The arraignment trial against Thevenet is scheduled for Thursday, 25 January 2024. The prosecution trial calls for preventive custody arguing that Thevenet is a Dominican and French citizen and could flee the country. The file on the case presented to the Court of Permanent Attention of the National District also declared Karina Baussan, fugitive of justice. Baussan is the owner of the apartment that was fumigated. The prosecutors say that she hired Thevenet knowing he was not a professional fumigator. Thevenet is a professional artist and furniture maker, and thus his expertise working with wood infestations. The ninth floor apartment had a termite problem in a closet. Baussan’s lawyer says his customer is in Miami and has been collaborating with the Dominican judiciary.
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Diario Libre
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Diario Libre
N Digital
25 January 2024