Crans-Montana: another former elected representative added to the list of defendants
Keystone-SDA
The Valais Public Prosecutor’s Office has decided to extend the list of defendants in the case of the fire at the “Le Constellation” bar.
The local councillor responsible for security in the municipality of Crans-Montana between 2017 and 2020 is now the 16th person to be charged in connection with the tragedy, in which 41 people died and 115 were injured on New Year’s Eve.
Prior to his political career, the man had been head of the Crans-Montana Fire and Rescue Service from 2008 to 2014. The new defendant is due to appear in court on September 29 in Sion.
The Public Prosecutor’s Office, which confirmed a report by Swiss public broadcaster RTS to the Swiss News Agency Keystone-ATS on Tuesday, has thus decided to question a seventh current or former politician, an elected representative from the former municipality of Chermignon or that of Crans-Montana. Seven current or former municipal employees have also been charged. Bar co-owners Jacques and Jessica Moretti have been added to this list.
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Upcoming hearings for the Morettis
The Public Prosecutor’s Office has also decided to summon the owners of the bar “Le Constellation” once again. They will be called to two further cross-examination hearings before the end of the year, on October 26 and December 2. The former mayor of Chermignon, Jean-Claude Savoy, will be questioned on October 20.
As was the case on June 5, Jacques and Jessica Moretti will therefore be questioned simultaneously by the team of prosecutors in charge of the criminal investigation.
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 in early June, Jessica Moretti has also been charged with forgery.
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Translated from French, reviewed by an English Department journalist.
