A Mexican court sentenced to 208 years in prison a man who approved faulty construction work at a school where 26 people died in an earthquake in 2017, according to the prosecution.
Nineteen children were among the 26 dead when the private Rebsamen Elementary School in the capital collapsed after a 7.1-magnitude earthquake.
Read also: 35 years ago, an earthquake killed 10,000 people in Mexico
Juan Mario Velarde, described as the director responsible for the works, had approved the structural security of the school without carrying out the necessary tests and despite the construction irregularities, the Mexico City prosecutor's office said. The man was sentenced
"for his criminal responsibility in this homicide,"
added the prosecution in a statement released Wednesday.
This
"historic sentence"
is the result of
"professional misconduct and totally fraudulent action
,
"
prosecutor spokesperson Ulises Lara told Milenio television.
Although he knew there were
"serious structural risks
,
"
Juan Mario Velarde allowed the school to continue to function, said Ulises Lara.
Read also: Mexico hit by a powerful earthquake
In October, the owner and principal of the school, Monica Garcia Villegas, was sentenced to 31 years in prison for manslaughter. She was arrested after it was discovered that she had built a large apartment above the classrooms, the weight of which allegedly contributed to the collapse of the building. According to the Mexican press, cost cutting, corruption or incompetence of construction companies and authorities contributed to the destruction caused by the earthquake, which killed 369 people.