Swiss and Italian prosecutors to meet over Crans-Montana fire investigation

Crans-Montana: meeting between Valais and Italian investigators in February Keystone-SDA

The Swiss ambassador in Rome, Roberto Balzaretti, says prosecutors in canton Valais are due to meet Italian investigators in mid-February as part of the ongoing inquiry into the New Year’s Eve tragedy in Crans‑Montana.

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“The Italian and Swiss judicial authorities are already working together […] and canton Valais has agreed to take part in the discussions,” Balzaretti told the CH Media group. He added, in comments to the French‑language newspaper Le Temps, that the meeting is expected to take place at a technical level.

Balzaretti reiterated that Italy had requested such a meeting even before a decision had been taken on its application for international legal assistance. He told CH Media that the mid‑February date does not reflect “any delay on Switzerland’s part, but the earliest possible moment for the public prosecutor’s office in Rome.”

On January 13, the Italian authorities submitted a formal request for judicial assistance to the Swiss government. The justice ministry passed it on the following day to the Valais public prosecutor’s office, the ministry said yesterday in response to a query from the Keystone‑SDA news agency.

+ Italy demands joint investigation into Crans-Montana fire

Officials in Bern noted that the two prosecuting authorities can also work together through so‑called joint investigation teams, which allow cross-border cooperation during an inquiry.

The Italian government has been pressing Bern to allow its judiciary to take part in the investigation into the fire at Le Constellation bar in Crans-Montana, which left several Italian nationals dead and others injured.

On Monday, Italy’s ambassador to Switzerland, Gian Lorenzo Cornado, was summoned back to Rome, where he met Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. His return to Bern was made conditional on the creation of a joint investigation team. In this context, “there is no crisis between the two countries,” Balzaretti said.

Translated from Italian by AI/sp

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