The Public Ministry of the Province and Federal Territories (MPDFT), on Monday (12/1), denounced the involvement of four people in the fire that destroyed the Instituto Liberte-se Therapeutic Clinic, in Paranoa, killing six people and injuring 15 others in August this year. The representative requests that two directors, an administrator and an employee, be transferred, after due process, to the jury court.
The complaint follows the conclusion of an investigation by the Civilian Police of the Defense Forces (PCDF) which was announced on the same day.
Those involved were charged with 6 eligible murders and 15 eligible attempted murders. Two of them may also be responsible for procedural fraud, for allegedly introducing fire extinguishers at the scene of the crime after it occurred, with the intention of changing the scenario and misleading the judge.
According to the complaint, two directors, an administrator and an employee acted jointly, and with probable intent, by keeping the clinic’s doors and windows locked from the outside, which would have prevented the victims from escaping during the fire.
The practice of locking the house from the outside was adopted to prevent escape and theft. On the night of the incident, a staff member allegedly locked the door before going to sleep, following instructions from unit managers.
The Public Prosecution pointed out that the crime occurred without a reason, as siege operations were carried out to prevent escape and theft of things. The use of fire and also through resources made it difficult to defend the victims who were trapped inside the dwelling.
According to the complaint, in the case of the survivors, the only cause of death was failure to enter due to circumstances beyond the control of the defendants, “to the extent that third parties intervened and were able to rescue them from inside the burning house.”
Inquiry about PCDF
The Civil Police of the Federal District (PCDF) has charged five people with causing the fire at the Liberte-se Therapeutic Institute that left six dead and 12 injured. Three administrators and observers from the secret clinic will face charges of premeditated murder, attempted murder, unlawful imprisonment, ill-treatment and illegal practice of the profession.
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Conditional closure.
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The fire caused a tragedy
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The place operates secretly
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The causes of the fire are unknown. Sixth Police Station (Paranoa) is investigating the case
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Darlie Fernandez de Carvalho, José Augusto, Lindbergh Nunes Pinho, Daniel Antunes, and João Pedro Santos died at the scene.
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The Instituto Terapêutico Liberte-se, a drug rehabilitation center in Paranoa (DF), caught fire in the early hours of Sunday (31/8), at around 3am.
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Forensic medicine was unable to determine the cause of the fire at Liberte-se. However, according to the chief deputy of the 6th Police, Bruno Cunha, there is strong evidence that cigarettes and a lighter found at the scene could have had an influence on the appearance of the flames. The hypothesis that the fire started from an electrical short was ignored.
Two of the officials, Douglas Costas de Oliveira Ramos, 34, and his wife Jocilan Lima de Souza, 37, have been in preventive detention since September.
Although PCDF has not confirmed this information, Capitals The third official accused of the fire turned out to be Geraldo Ramos de Jesus Jr., 48 years old. He is considered a fugitive.
Geraldo is also a member of the Federal District Health Department (SES-DF). He holds the position of driver. According to the GDF transparency portal, he receives a total remuneration of 4,211.75.
Investigators also concluded that the 21 patients were locked in the burned-out farmhouse. They were drugged at the time of the fire.
According to the delegate, the prisoners are treated irregularly by the monitors. “The psychiatrist in charge of their online consultation stated that the prescriptions had an expiration date of 30 days. So, for the first 30 days, they were taking the medication in a way that was supported by the report and prescription,” he said.
The representative revealed that “the rest of the time they stayed there, they were taking it irregularly, without a prescription to justify the treatment that the observers prescribed to them.”
Six dead and 12 wounded
- In the early hours of August 31, the Núcleo Rural Boqueirão unit of the Instituto Liberte-se, in Paranoa, caught fire.
- At that time, six people were killed and 12 others were injured. Darlie Fernandez de Carvalho, José Augusto, Lindbergh Nunes Pinho, Daniel Antunes, and João Pedro Santos were burned to death. Luiz Gustavo Ferrojim Kumca, 21, died three weeks later in hospital from smoke inhalation.
- The unit operated without a licence, according to the DF Legal Secretariat.
- The owner of the Free Therapy Institute, Douglas Costa Ramos, 33 years old, confirmed in a statement to PCDF that the only entry and exit door to the clinic was closed, due to previous thefts.
- Douglas also admitted that he did not have the necessary licenses to allow the Buquerao unit to operate.
- Four people involved in the fire that broke out at the Freedom Institute Unit in Paranoa have been provisionally arrested by the PCDF, on September 18.
- The report concluded that one of the arrested owners was Douglas Costa de Oliveira Ramos, 33 years old. His wife, Joselan Lima de Souza, 37, and Matheus Luiz Nunes de Souza, 23, were also arrested. The identity of the fourth person involved has not been confirmed.
Security flaws
Testimonies collected by the civil police reveal that the clinic was operating without any basic fire protection measures. Guests reported that there were no emergency exits, smoke detectors, surveillance systems, an evacuation plan, and even fire extinguishers.
Furthermore, there was no accessible equipment or minimal conditions to fight the fire, a scenario that, according to the police, directly contributed to the seriousness of the tragedy.
The treatment center did not have a license and was not licensed to operate by the Military Fire Department (CBMDF).
PCDF referred the investigation to the Public Ministry (MPDFT) last Friday (28/11).