Santo Domingo.– In statements given to the press before the start of the coercion measure hearing against Antonio Espaillat and his sister, the lawyer Ángel Locward maintained that beyond the individual criminal charges, the Dominican State must also be held accountable for the consequences of the tragedy that occurred at the Jet Set nightclub.
“The Public Ministry is in a preliminary stage and with the pieces provided. I think that this classification is still correct. I don’t think there are reasons today to talk about voluntary homicide,” said Locward, referring to the initial charges against the accused.
Read more: Jet Set, an omission disguised as involuntary manslaughter
However, he highlighted the magnitude of the damage caused by the collapse of the roof.“235 dead is not a small thing. 180 injured either,” he highlighted.
“I encourage you to think about a group that is not talked about, and it is the group that needs the most assistance from justice: orphans. There are 130 children who lost their dad, who lost their mom, who on the seventh had their lives secured and today do not know what will become of their future”, he expressed with concern.
Locward pointed out that both the owners of the establishment and the State share responsibility for what happened.“The individual failed due to negligence, but the State was not able to enforce the rule, nor review the plans every time a remodeling was done. That is why I maintain that it is appropriate to sue the State for property damage”, he affirmed.
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“Those children now have no guarantee of food, education, or anything. And the State must be condemned to be the guarantor of the well-being of those children until they are adults,” he concluded.
