Santo Domingo.- The businessman Antonio Espaillat was released on parole this Friday after complying with the payment of the bail imposed by Judge Fátima Veloz for the judicial process against him and his sister Maribel Espaillat de Veras, both charged with involuntary manslaughter in the Jet Set case.
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The magistrate rejected the Public Prosecutor’s request for 18 months of pre-trial detention for Antonio Espaillat and house arrest for his sister Maribel Espaillat, both accused of alleged negligence in the structural maintenance of the entertainment center Jet Set. According to the Public Ministry’s file, these failures would have caused the collapse of the establishment’s roof, a tragedy that occurred on April 8 while a party was being held with the participation of merengue singer Rubby Pérez, who is among the 235 people who died. The event also left more than 180 injured. Instead of the requested measures, the court imposed financial guarantee, periodic reporting and prohibition from leaving the country for both defendants. Likewise, it declared the process as a complex case, which will allow the Public Prosecutor’s Office to continue with the investigation for an extended period. The Public Ministry has expressed its disagreement with the judicial decision and announced that it will appeal the coercive measure, considering that it does not correspond to the magnitude of the damage caused or the level of responsibility attributed to the accused.
