Court declares Vidal Plast owners not guilty for San Cristóbal tragedy
The Second Collegiate Court of San Cristóbal has issued an acquittal in favor of Edward Armando Vidal Garrido, his wife Maribel Sandoval Almánzar, and his daughter Mercedes Altagracia Vidal. The owners of the company Vidal Plast were declared not guilty in the judicial process linked to the devastating explosion that occurred on August 14, 2023, which resulted in the loss of 38 lives and left dozens of citizens injured.
Judge Wilma Altagracia Cuello, after evaluating the elements presented during the hearing, ruled in favor of the defendants, putting an end to the accusation that the Public Prosecutor’s Office had maintained against them since the beginning of the investigations.
Reaction of the victims’ relatives
After the verdict was announced, a group of the victims’ relatives expressed their support for the judicial decision. Those close to the case stated that, in their view, the Vidal family bears no direct responsibility for the incident. In that sense, they called on the authorities to initiate a new investigative phase.
The relatives requested that the authorities conduct a new investigation to determine who was responsible for the event, questioning the management of the Public Prosecutor’s Office and asking to expand the inquiries to other sectors that could be linked to the case.
Defense arguments and background
Since the charges were filed, the company Vidal Plast, dedicated to plastic recycling since 2003, maintained a stance of rejection regarding the accusations. The company constantly argued that its operations did not use fuels or highly dangerous chemical substances, asserting that only plastic materials were handled at its facilities that did not have the capacity to cause an explosion of such magnitude.
Details of the tragedy
- Date of the event: August 14, 2023, at approximately 3:10 in the afternoon.
- Location: Padre Ayala Street, corner of J. Peynado, in San Cristóbal.
- Human impact: 38 deceased persons and 59 injured with various physical complications.
- Material damage: Serious damage to more than 12 homes and nearly 70 commercial establishments.
The firefighters’ technical report after the event described a deflagration with far-reaching blast waves. Despite the time that has passed and the sentence issued by the court, the demand for justice by those affected remains current, demanding that the real causes that triggered the explosion in the commercial area be clarified.
