A court in the Dominican Republic has set the preliminary hearing for January 12 against Antonio and Maribel Espaillat, owners of the Jet Set nightclub, whose roof collapsed on April 8, causing the deaths of 236 people and injuring more than 180, it was reported this Friday. The case will be handled by the First Instructional Court of the National District, in the center of the Dominican capital. The date was set a week after the Public Ministry filed a formal accusation and requested the opening of a trial against the Espaillat brothers, who are charged with involuntary manslaughter and involuntary grievous bodily harm. Antonio and Maribel Espaillat were arrested last June but were released on bail a few days later. According to the Public Ministry's investigation, for years Jet Set, a symbol of nightlife in Santo Domingo, 'operated with systematic and serious negligence in the maintenance and structural adaptation of its facilities, endangering the lives of its customers and employees.' The tragedy occurred in the early morning of April 8 while hundreds of people were enjoying a performance by Dominican merengue singer Rubby Pérez, who also died, as did one of the musicians in his orchestra. Among the other victims were former Major League Baseball pitcher Otavio Dotel, designer Martín Polanco, and a son of former Senate President and Dominican Minister of Public Works Eduardo Estrella. It was also reported at the time that 18 Venezuelans, three Haitians, and one Colombian were among the deceased.
