The Investigative Court number 3 of Murcia yesterday assumed the open proceedings for thirteen crimes of reckless homicide in the fire in the Atalayas nightlife area, on October 1, in which 13 people died. The head of this body will be the one to direct the investigation to clarify the facts and purge, in her case, of possible criminal responsibilities.
The Superior Prosecutor of Justice of the Region of Murcia, José Luis Díaz Manzanera, has declared to the radio station Onda Regional “that we are in a very initial phase of the process of a very complex case. But if the route continues, the penalties that may be imposed, after a modification in the Penal Code, can reach nine years in prison.” He added that responsibilities may fall not only on individuals or companies, but also on administrations for possible crimes of prevarication and omission "since these are extremely serious events."
Currently, we are waiting for the identification work of the victims to be completed with DNA tests, once the autopsy is completed by the forensic doctors of the Institute of Legal Medicine of the Region of Murcia, in order to inform the judged on the causes and circumstances of the deaths. The Investigative Court number 3, competent for the investigation, maintains the decreed secrecy of the summary of the proceedings opened to clarify the incident.
The announcement made last Monday by those responsible for urban planning at the Murcia City Council, both from the current and the last legislature, in which they confirmed that "the damaged premises had been operating without a license since October 2022", has unleashed an unrest in the Region. climate of tension, unrevealed questions and accusations between the administration and the owners.
Yesterday data emerged, such as that last March the Teatre nightclub passed, despite not having a license, a health inspection of which municipal officials assured yesterday that "they have no record." Municipal sources confirmed in this regard that "there is no information in the City Council file regarding said inspection."
The Efe agency has had access to the minutes of the veterinary service official of the Murcia town hall who signs the document after the inspection. It states that “all the deficiencies detected in a previous visit, dated February 9, 2023, have been corrected. The premises meet hygienic-sanitary conditions and I proceed to register it in the Autonomous Health Registry of retail food establishments.” . Municipal sources did not clarify anything new about the tragedy yesterday and only insisted that "responsibilities will be resolved and we will go as far as necessary, no matter who it hurts and whatever consequences it may have."
Meanwhile, María Dolores Abellán, legal representative of the Teatre nightclub, assured that, contrary to what the City Council claims, “we do have a license,” although she acknowledged that she has not seen those papers.
The owner of La Fonda Milagros, Colombian Juan Esteban Ramírez, told the Colombian radio station Blu Radio that “they never notified him of the club's cessation of activity,” and said that “it is illogical that it had been open for a year, with performances in direct from well-known artists, without anyone stopping it.”
