Switzerland Today
Dear Swiss Abroad,
The flow of news surrounding the Crans-Montana tragedy continues. Deleted video recordings are now raising fresh questions about the New Year’s Eve fire.
Meanwhile in Ticino, parliament is turning to its strongest oversight tool. A parliamentary commission of inquiry is to examine the “Hospita” affair and shed light on possible political entanglements.
Unanswered questions continue to multiply in the investigation into the Crans-Montana fire disaster. As the Neue Zürcher Zeitung (NZZ) reports today, video recordings from at least 250 public surveillance cameras were deleted – despite being potentially central to the investigation.
According to the NZZ, the municipal police of Crans-Montana no longer have access to public surveillance footage from around New Year’s Eve. While the cantonal police secured recordings from January 1 between midnight and 6am, additional footage from December 31 and later hours has since been deleted. The fire at the Le Constellation bar broke out at 1:26am. The public prosecutor’s office reportedly requested further footage only on January 15 – after the automatic deletion period of seven days had elapsed.
The deletion also raises legal concerns. Municipal police regulations require recordings to be retained for investigative purposes. Cantonal data protection guidelines and federal court practice further allow storage periods of up to 100 days in criminal cases. It remains unclear whether the municipal police assumed their mandate had been fulfilled once the six-hour window had been secured by cantonal authorities. Crans-Montana is considered a pioneer of video surveillance in canton Valais and has long highlighted its benefits.
Private video surveillance at the bar raises additional questions. The owner couple stated that the system had failed shortly before the fire. This is contradicted by a police report, which explicitly cites video footage from inside the bar to reconstruct events. Research by Swiss public broadcaster RTS also suggests that the premises were already in a precarious condition days earlier: video and audio messages show ceiling elements coming loose and being fixed with makeshift materials. These recordings are now regarded as key evidence by lawyers representing the victims’ families.
Ticino’s parliament has activated its most powerful oversight instrument. On Monday, lawmakers approved the creation of a parliamentary commission of inquiry (PUK) to conduct a political investigation into the “Hospita” affair.
The decision passed with 66 votes in favour – a rare step in Ticino. Former cantonal parliamentarian Sabrina Aldi and current lawmaker Norman Gobbi are central figures in the case. Both belonged to the Lega party at the time. The inquiry will examine whether political office was used to advance private business interests, Swiss public broadcaster SRF reports.
At the heart of the case is the election of a public prosecutor in March 2024. Aldi, then vice-president of the justice commission, proposed Alvaro Camponovo as the Lega’s sole candidate without disclosing that he was the son of her direct superior at Hospita. Camponovo was subsequently elected. Ticino media report that a business lunch involving Lega representatives, Hospita managers and Camponovo took place in October 2023. Shortly afterwards, Aldi joined Hospita and Camponovo was formally nominated by the party.
Criminal proceedings are running alongside the political inquiry. The former head of Hospita is accused of embezzlement and the company is now in receivership. Gobbi’s role has also drawn criticism: he is accused of initiating an internal party investigation before official inquiries began. According to SRF, critics argue this may have been an attempt to influence a sensitive network linking politics, business and the judiciary.
The Swiss franc is gaining ground, benefiting from rising uncertainty on global financial markets. As the Luzerner Zeitung reports, investors are once again seeking safe havens amid political turmoil in the United States.
Over the past year, the US dollar has lost more than 14% of its value against the Swiss franc. In recent days alone, it has fallen by more than 2%. At the same time, gold prices have reached a new record high of over $5,000 (CHF6,484) per troy ounce (the standard mass unit for precious metals in industry and in trade) – another signal of investors’ retreat from the dollar.
According to the Luzerner Zeitung, the latest market movements are driven less by monetary policy than by political uncertainty under US President Donald Trump. Tensions with allies, renewed tariff threats and unilateral foreign policy moves have fuelled doubts about the United States’ economic reliability. Expectations of falling US interest rates are adding further pressure on the dollar.
The market reaction recalls Trump’s so-called “Liberation Day” in spring 2025, when abruptly announced tariffs sent the dollar tumbling. Economists are warning of a lasting loss of confidence. For many investors, the US is no longer seen as a stable anchor – unlike the Swiss franc, which is once again in strong demand as a safe haven.
After more than a year, residents of Brienz/Brinzauls are finally returning home. The municipality had already announced last week that the evacuation order would be lifted.
The roughly 80 residents are now allowed back after geologists gave the all-clear. Municipal president Daniel Albertin spoke of “great relief” but urged continued caution.
On the ground, the village remains quiet, as a report by Swiss public broadcaster SRF shows. Many shutters are still closed and only a handful of residents have returned so far. The long months of absence have reshaped lives and plans.
Some returnees are collecting belongings or visiting family graves, while others remain hesitant. “Brienz is accessible again – but the new beginning is proceeding carefully and cautiously,” SRF reports.
Translated using AI/amva/ts
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