Indictments in the case of the Versailles Hall disaster in Jerusalem, in which 23 people were killed and 356 injured, were filed today, 15 months later.
The indictment accuses Eli Ron, inventor of the Pal-Kal method used to build the Versailles Hall ceiling, which collapsed, of manslaughter, severe bodily harm, and injuries. According to prosecutors Jerusalem District Attorney Adv. Moshe Lador and Adv. Irit Abulafia, many experts warned Ron both before and during the construction of the Versailles Hall that the Pal-Kal ceilings were unsafe.
Pal-Kal ceilings in Petah Tikva, Ashdod, and Ashkelon collapsed in 1991-1996. Despite a request from an specialist, however, Ron announced he had no interest in testing the ceilings' resistance to stress.
Another accused is building engineer Uri Pessah, an employee of Ron's company. Pessah dealt in the marketing, sale, and inspection of the Pal-Kal casting in the Versailles Hall. Pessah is accused of homicidal negligence and negligence leading to bodily harm.
Dan Shefer and Shimon Kaufman, the civil engineers of the collapsed building, are also accused of homicidal negligence and negligence leading to bodily harm.
Developer, contractor, and construction manager Ya'acov Adiv, who inspected the building of the Versailles Hall, is also accused of homicidal negligence and negligence leading to bodily harm.
Others indicted for homicidal negligence and negligence leading to bodily harm were Versailles Hall owners Avraham and David Adi, Uri Nissim, and Ephraim Adiv.
Published by Globes [online] - www.globes.co.il - on August 12, 2002