SANTO DOMINGO. – Early Thursday morning, the First Collegiate Court of the National District imposed a bail of RD$50 million and a travel ban as a coercive measure against siblings Antonio and Maribel Espaillat, who are charged in the investigation of the Jet Set nightclub roof collapse that left 236 dead and more than 180 injured.
Immediately, the head of the General Directorate of Prosecution of the Public Ministry, Wilson Camacho, expressed his disagreement with the measure issued by the court against those involved in the Jet Set case, assuring that the decision does not reflect the magnitude of the damage caused to Dominican society nor to the victims of the tragedy that occurred in the early morning of April 8, while the merengue singer Rubby Pérez, who died in the incident, was entertaining at a party in the emblematic entertainment center.
Judge Fatima Veloz announced her decision after 1:30 am on Thursday, June 19, 2025, following a hearing that lasted more than 12 hours of presentations by the parties.
The Public Prosecutor's Office had requested 18 months of preventive detention against the siblings Antonio and Maribel Espaillat, whom they accuse of involuntary manslaughter due to the alleged negligence that led to the collapse of the roof, in one of the biggest tragedies to occur in the country.
The court ruling also mandated periodic reporting for the businessmen. The case was declared complex.
The court's decision was issued in the courtroom of the First Collegiate Court of the Palace of Justice in Ciudad Nueva, National District. Lawyers representing approximately 80 plaintiffs were present at the hearing.
They will appeal
Following the ruling, Camacho announced that the Public Prosecutor's Office would appeal the decision, considering it an affront to the memory of the victims. "This decision mocks the victims," he emphasized.
More than 80% request a change in measure
Yesterday, in the middle of the process, lawyer Félix Portes, who represents several of the victims, reported that more than 80% of the lawyers representing the victims of the tragedy had requested that the legal classification of the case be changed from involuntary manslaughter to voluntary homicide with eventual intent.
Portes stated that most legal representatives consider Maribel's conduct to be even more serious than that of her brother, stating that "she tried to interfere with the investigation by contacting a potential witness.".
The collapse of the roof of the Jet Set nightclub occurred in the early hours of April 8, leaving 236 people dead and more than 180 injured.
