Crans-Montana fire: ex-safety officer questioned by Valais prosecutors

Around 41 people died and 115 were seriously injured after a fire tore through the "Le Constellation" bar in the Swiss ski resort of Crans-Montana in southern Switzerland on January 1.  Keystone / Alessandro Della Valle

A former municipal safety inspection officer of Crans-Montana was questioned by Valais prosecutors on Monday in connection with a fatal bar fire on New Year's Eve. Criminal proceedings have been opened against him.

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The man was in charge of safety and fire checks in January 2018 and June 2019 in the Le Constellation bar in the Swiss ski resort. His recommendations were reportedly twice ignored by the manager and owner. The inspections were not followed by any sanctions from the municipality either.

In addition, the resident from canton Valais must explain why the bar had not been inspected since mid-2019. He left his post at the beginning of 2024.

“There are a lot of questions, to which we hope the person heard today will provide some answers,” said Yaël Hayat, the lawyer of one of the owners, just before the hearing.

“As things stand, there are a lot of things we need to know. My client doesn’t understand why all this could have happened. I hope we’ll get some answers,” said Moretti’s other lawyer, Nicola Meier.

‘Numerous failings’

“Why do we end up in a situation where there are so few controls, and when there are controls, they are so few,” declared Miriam Mazou, a victim’s lawyer, on Monday.

+ Crans-Montana tragedy highlights limits of Swiss federal system

Gilles-Antoine Hofstetter, a lawyer from canton Vaud, added: “We’ve known the truth, more or less, since January 2. We are now waiting for those in charge of security to explain the reasons for the many failings in this case. On Friday, the former security officer did not acknowledge much responsibility. His explanations were vague.”

Moral responsibility

The hearing of the current safety officer lasted from 8:30am to 8:30pm on Friday. According to the Swiss public broadcaster RTS, confirmed to Keystone-ATS by a source close to the case, the current head of security admitted that “he had not obtained his federal fire safety specialist certificate in 2017”.

However, he told the prosecutors in charge of the case that he had obtained a federal certificate in occupational health and safety in 2023. The man also admitted moral responsibility towards the 156 victims of the tragedy (41 dead, 115 injured).

Question of priorities

The current safety officer explained that, owing to personnel shortages, he had prioritised checks as soon as he took up his new post. He had concentrated on hospitals, clinics and retirement homes, followed by hotels and finally public establishments such as bars, where not all the checks were carried out every year.

With regard to bars, discotheques, restaurants and other public establishments, he said that he had first focused on those with an open file, a category that did not include the Le Constellation in 2023.

Making way for the Morettis

“The questioning of the security officers is just one link in the chain of responsibility of the municipality of Crans-Montana, and I think that other people will follow as defendants or defendants under indictment,” said Alain Viscolo, the Valais lawyer representing certain victims, on Monday.

The hearings will continue on Wednesday with the bar owner Jacques Moretti. His wife Jessica will be questioned the following day.

Around 41 people died and 115 were seriously injured after a fire tore through the “Le Constellation” bar in the Swiss ski resort of Crans-Montana in southern Switzerland on January 1. 

Adapted from French by AI/sb

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