SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic — Authorities have arrested Antonio Espaillat, owner of the iconic Dominican nightclub that collapsed in April, killing 236 people, along with his sister Maribel Espaillat.
The arrests were made Thursday after several hours of interrogation. Though no formal charges have been filed yet, prosecutors have 48 hours to present the case before a judge.
According to the Dominican Republic’s Attorney General’s Office, the Espaillats showed “immense irresponsibility and negligence” by failing to take action that might have prevented the roof collapse. Prosecutors also accuse the siblings of attempting to intimidate or manipulate potential witnesses among their employees.
An attorney for the Espaillats was not immediately available for comment.
The tragedy occurred just after midnight on April 8 in Santo Domingo, when the roof of the decades-old nightclub caved in during a popular Monday night merengue event. Rescue teams worked continuously for 53 hours and pulled 189 survivors from the debris.
Among the 236 victims were:
Rubby Pérez, a beloved merengue singer performing that night
Nelsy Cruz, governor of Montecristi province and sister of MLB star Nelson Cruz
Former MLB pitcher Octavio Dotel, who died at a hospital after being pulled from the rubble
Dominican baseball player Tony Enrique Blanco Cabrera
A retired UN official
New York fashion designer Martín Polanco
An Army captain and mother of four
Three employees from Grupo Popular, including the president of AFP Popular Bank and his wife
A government-appointed committee, including international experts, is still investigating the cause of the collapse at the iconic venue, which had been a fixture in the Dominican nightlife scene for nearly 50 years.
