Crans-Montana fire tragedy court hearings to resume

Crans-Montana: the 15th defendant appeared in court on Tuesday Keystone-SDA

In the case of the Crans-Montana fire disaster, the Valais Public Prosecutor's Office is continuing its investigation with two further hearings are scheduled for this week.

Those to be questioned are the former vice-president of the then municipality of Chermignon and the former municipal president, Jean-Claude Savoy.

The former vice-president of the municipality of Chermignon will be questioned for the first time on Tuesday morning at the Energypolis campus in Sion. In 2015, he chaired the municipality’s fire brigade commission.

His hearing is expected to provide further information about the extensive renovation work that Jessica and Jacques Moretti commissioned after taking over the management of the Le Constellation bar around ten years before the tragedy.

In the fire at the venue on New Year’s Eve, 41 people—mostly young adults—lost their lives and 115 others were injured, some seriously.

Former municipal president Jean-Claude Savoy will be questioned for a second time on Thursday. During his first hearing on May 13, the former politician exercised his right to remain silent because he had not yet been granted access to the criminal case files. The hearing was therefore terminated prematurely.

Another hearing is scheduled for the end of July. It will involve the former safety officer of Chermignon, who remained in office until the end of 2016. The hearing will take place on July 28. The date was postponed by two weeks because his lawyer was unavailable.

All defendants must answer to the same allegations in the proceedings: negligent homicide, negligent bodily injury, and negligent causation of a fire. Since her most recent hearing on June 5, Jessica Moretti has also been charged with forgery of documents.

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Translated from French, reviewed by an English Department journalist.