Prosecutors charge 15th person in fatal Crans-Montana fire
A former deputy mayor of Chermignon who served between 2013–2016 and was subsequently a municipal councillor for Crans-Montana (2017–2020) is the 15th person to be charged in connection with the tragedy that occurred on New Year's Day.
The man was in office when Jacques and Jessica Moretti, the couple at the centre of the criminal probe, took over the bar Le Constellation in 2015.
The report by the Valais regional television channel, Canal 9, which was broadcast at the end of last week, was confirmed on Monday by the Valais public prosecutor’s office to news agency Keystone-SDA.
In 2015, this new suspect chaired the Fire Safety Committee for the municipality of Chermignon. His upcoming hearing may shed more light on the major works carried out by the Morettis when they became managers of the bar, just over ten years before the tragedy that claimed 41 lives and injured 115 people.
Three hearings in July
Three hearings are scheduled for July. Following that of the new suspect (on July 14), the former mayor of Chermignon, Jean-Claude Savoy, will be heard on July 16.
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On July 28, Chermignon’s security officer, who held the post until December 31, 2016, will be questioned at the Energypolis campus in Sion. His appearance before the panel of prosecutors has been postponed from July 14 to July 28 due to his lawyer’s unavailability.
Same charges brought
During initial hearings on May 13 and April 8 respectively, the two men had refused to answer questions – as Swiss law permits them to do – as they had not been granted access to the criminal case file, thereby bringing their appearances to a premature end.
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In this case, all the defendants face the same charges, namely negligent homicide, negligent bodily harm and negligent arson. Since her last hearing on June 5, Jessica Moretti has also been charged with forgery.
Translated from French/sub-editing gw
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