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A JUDGE sentenced a Mexican building expert to 208 years in prison on Wednesday for signing off on defective remodelling work blamed in the collapse of school that killed 26 people during a 2017 earthquake.
It was the longest sentence yet handed down in relation to the magnitude 7.1 quake of September 19 2017, although Mexico does not permit life imprisonment and limits sentences to 60 years.
City prosecutors said that Juan Mario Velarde, the “responsible director” of the remodelling, was convicted of 26 counts of homicide. He is one of hundreds of private experts who are paid to oversee safety and standards on building sites.
In 2020, the owner and director of the private elementary school that collapsed in Mexico City, killing 19 students and seven adults, was sentenced to 31 years in prison. That woman, Monica Garcia Villegas, was convicted of charges equivalent to manslaughter.
