The revelations of the persecuting organ indicate the x-ray of the overload installed on the ceiling.
SANTO DOMINGO – At the Jet Set Hotel, a tarp was placed between the roof and the ceilings to contain the water that leaked from above and prevent it from falling directly onto the ceiling and seeping into the building. “This tarp was removed periodically to move the accumulated water.”
This is how request for coercive measures against the siblings Antonio and Maribel Espaillat, owners of the emblematic nightclub, where on April 8 of this year the roof collapsed leaving 236 people dead and more than 180 injured.
The document details the chronology of the repairs carried out to counteract the constant leaks in the roof:
-In August of 2024, deterioration was observed in the interior ceilings of the Jet Set Club, while on the roof part they carried out the installation of an asphaltic Iona, he points out.
He adds that in September 2024, they carried out leveling work on the air conditioning units and other machinery located in the roof of the Jet Set Club, due to the accumulation of water underneath. They then applied cement and leveling blocks. They also installed new air conditioning units.
–In October 2024, repairs were made to the ceilings on the inside; on the outside, asphaltic Iona was installed on part of the roof.
–November 2024: They applied cement and parapets to part of the roof and continued applying asphaltic Iona. The word "zabaleta" refers to a ceramic piece placed at the base of the parapet (an element that protects or delimits a space with a slope) of the roof to protect it from moisture.
–December 2024, work was carried out to change ceilings internally and to install Iona; on the outside, some concrete lines were applied.
–March 2025, they carried out conditioning work, chipping and filling with cement inside and outside the sheds on the roof.
-On April 7, 2025, a few hours before the roof collapsed, the condition of the internal ceilings was very deteriorated; that day several were replaced due to breakage and humidity.
An overloaded roof
The Public Ministry states that from 2011 to the present year, the roof of the Jet Set Club showed a constant and progressive occupation of the building's roof, registering in 2011, 7 visible elements, such as isolated mechanical equipment or small technical units, maintaining that distribution in the following years.
“In 2014, an increase of 9 items began to be recorded, and in 2015 it rose to 12units, demonstrating a more intense expansion of the technical use of the roof. In 2016, the number of equipment rose to 14 items, a quantity that remained from 2017 to 2021, with variations in the distribution, size, and type of equipment installed,” the document emphasizes.
The application argues that between 2022 and 2025, the number of elements on the roof reached its peak with 17 visible installations, including technical booths, ducts, larger volume air conditioning units and water supply tanks, which reinforced the intensive use of the roof as an auxiliary operational area.
“Most of the work on this roof, including the installation of the air conditioning equipment, was carried out by employees who answered to the defendants Antonio Espaillat López and Maribel Espaillat, being coordinated by Mr. Manuel Jiménez Mateo, in charge of maintenance of Radio Cadena Comercial (RCC Media), a commercial entity directed by the main defendant, who provided this type of service to the different commercial entities on behalf of his employer,” it elaborates.
The Public Prosecutor's Office emphasizes that the investigation of the process has yielded abundant evidence that the building where the Jet Set Club operated had been presenting a series of defects, specifically in its roof, which was visibly affected by different situations, such as leaks and falling debris, which were not solved or properly evaluated.
“These situations had been occurring at least since 2024 ,when on multiple occasions the fall of large amounts of water and ceiling tiles that were installed in a false ceiling at the top of the Jet Set Club, as a kind of sub-ceiling, was reported, which was informally remedied by Mr. Manuel Jiménez Mateo,” the document states.
He adds that to make the repairs they were helped by 2 Haitian nationals nicknamed "Caballito" and "El Grande", who replaced the ceiling tiles, without being qualified to do such work.
The tons of air
On the roof of the Jet Set Club, 6 air conditioners with their components, weighing 15 and 20 tons each, were installed without any type of evaluation or study having been carried out to determine that this part of the building was capable of supporting the placement of these objects.
