Crans-Montana: the 15th defendant has chosen to cooperate
Keystone-SDA
The former deputy mayor of Chermignon (2013–2016) became the 15th suspect in the January 1 tragedy in Crans-Montana to be questioned by the office of the attorney general on Tuesday. The man chose to cooperate with the authorities from his very first interview.
The 15th defendant in the “Constellation” tragedy has been giving evidence since 9.00 am on Tuesday at the Energypolis campus in Sion. He has chosen to answer questions from the prosecutors in charge of the investigation. In 2015, the newly charged defendant chaired the Fire Safety Committee for the municipality of Chermignon. The Public Prosecutor’s Office has decided to question the former elected representative in order to shed further light on the work carried out by Jessica and Jacques Moretti when they became managers of the “Constellation”.
The former mayor of the municipality, Jean-Claude Savoy, will be questioned for the second time on Thursday. During his first hearing on May 13, the former politician refused to answer questions – as Swiss law permits – on the grounds that he had not been granted access to the criminal case file, thereby bringing his hearing to a premature end.
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A third hearing, on 28 July
The security officer for Chermignon, who held the post until 31 December 2016, will be questioned on Tuesday July 28, again in Sion. His appearance before the team of prosecutors has been postponed by two weeks due to his lawyer’s unavailability.
Following these three hearings involving former department heads and politicians from the municipality of Chermignon, the Public Prosecutor’s Office should be in a better position to decide whether or not to charge representatives of the Valais cantonal government.
In this case, all the accused face the same charges, namely: manslaughter through negligence, causing bodily harm through negligence and arson through negligence. Since her last hearing on June 5, Jessica Moretti also faces a charge of forgery.
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Translated from German, reviewed by an English Department journalist.
