Antonio Espaillat, the owner of the JetSet Club, where so far 231 persons died as a consequence of the concrete roof collapse, has yet to appear for a TV program or the media. He has only sent written and videotaped messages to the general public.
His whereabouts have not been made known by the local media. Litigation lawyer Vinicio Castillo Seman urged that Antonio Espaillat voluntarily visit Attorney General Yeni Berenice Reynoso.
Meanwhile, Noticias SIN reports that the first criminal case was presented by lawyer Felix Portes in defense of a family that lost several of its members. The owners of JetSet Club are accused of involuntary murder.
Noticias SIN reports that Portes has prepared to sue Inversiones E y L, S.R.L., Jet Set Club, Antonio Espaillat López, Ana Grecia López, the Dominican state and the City Hall of the National District.
The initial filing of the case indicates that the Dominican State and the City Hall of the National District violated and disregarded Articles 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 of Law No. 687-82 on Construction Standards, the Building Code (Resolution No. 201-2011), Article 12 of Law No. 160-21 of the Ministry of Housing, Habitat, and Buildings (MIVHED), as well as Articles 19, 20, and 22 of Law No. 176-07. Furthermore, they violated Articles 38, 42, and 61 of the Constitution, which guarantee human dignity, the right to personal integrity, and the right to health.
“This tragedy is not only the responsibility of the owners and managers of the Jet Set nightclub, who were obliged to ensure the structural integrity and safety of their establishment but also of the Dominican state institutions and the National District City Hall. These entities failed to fulfill their legal duties of supervision, inspection, and authorization for the operation of public establishments,” states the case introduction.
Lawyer and former deputy for Opcion Democratica, Jose Horacio Rodriguez lamented that the state prosecutors did not seek an order to search the JetSet Club offices for evidence of what caused the roof collapse. He said the delay in the prosecutors’ acting has given time for any maneuver to reduce the accountability of the owners of the discotheque.
Read more in Spanish:
Diario Libre
CDN
Noticias SIN
Noticias SIN
N Digital
El Informe de Alicia Ortega
Noticias SIN
Somos Pueblo
15 April 2025