Lawyer Félix Portes denounces irregularities in Jet Set case

Santo Domingo.- Attorney Félix Portes, legal representative of several victims of the Jet Set nightclub collapse, reported Monday that the Third Chamber of the National District Criminal Court dismissed the appeals of more than 40 victims without holding a hearing. He criticized the decision, describing it as an unusual administrative procedure that also affected the Dominican Attorney General’s Office.

Portes revealed that, while attending another trial, he discovered that the Second Chamber of the same court had scheduled a hearing to review an appeal against siblings Antonio and Maribel Espaillat, without prior notification to plaintiffs, lawyers, or the press. He expressed surprise at the lack of transparency and vowed to continue pursuing justice for the victims.

During Monday’s hearing, two plaintiffs—Luisa María Delgado Araujo and Rossi Milanés Feliz Medina—formally withdrew their appeal challenging coercive measures previously imposed on the Espaillat siblings by Judge Fátima Veloz.