Crans families fear the mockery of compensation: 'Make the Municipality Commissioner'

There is fear of yet another hoax among the families of the victims of the Crans-Montana massacre. While waiting for the long criminal investigation to be concluded and for the responsibilities for the New Year's Eve fire to be clarified, in which 41 people died and 115 were injured, the concern is that the millionaire compensation money will disappear. In particular those of the Municipality, whose coffers may not be able to cope with the payment of several hundred million euros.

And so 24 parents took action, asking the government of the Canton of Valais to take charge of the finances of the ski resort, whose administrators and officials, starting with the mayor Nicolas Féraud, are under investigation for fire, aggravated injuries and manslaughter. Presented by the lawyer Sébastien Fanti, from Sion, the request - consulted by ANSA - requests "financial and administrative supervision" of the public coffers, to "ensure that the Municipality prepares for all plausible outcomes". The same concern, but addressed to Jacques Moretti, owner of the Constellation and main suspect in the investigation, with his wife Jessica, moves the Milanese lawyers Alfredo Zampogna and Vinicio Mardo, lawyers of the parents of Chiara Costanza, a 16-year-old who died in the fire. They have in fact asked the cantonal prosecutor's office to carry out investigations into the bank movements of the entrepreneur of Corsican origin, given that "no assets or assets are currently subject to guarantee in view of compensation", write Zampogna and Mardo, quoted by Corriere della Sera. Jacques will be questioned on Monday for the sixth time, in the large university hall of the Sion Polytechnic, in front of over one hundred people, including investigators, lawyers and some family members, who courageously regularly attend these harrowing hearings. The suspect has been in prison since August, accused of beating his wife, who was allowed not to participate. In view of the civil cases, the dossier that worries lawyers and families the most concerns the budget of the administration of the prestigious resort in the Swiss Alps. "A solid situation, apparently - writes Fanti - but fragile in view of the shock" that could result from the huge compensation.

In recent years, the Municipality's net debt has in fact multiplied, going from 9.8 million euros in 2022 to 51 million euros in 2025. The financial scenarios outlined by the Swiss lawyer therefore take into consideration compensation varying between 323 million and over one billion euros. In the intermediate hypothesis, approximately 650 million euros, of which over 400 million could be paid by the municipality, the amount to be paid would correspond to approximately 5 years of the entire annual tax revenue and a debt for each resident of 41 thousand euros. The families are therefore asking for an "official investigation" into this financial situation. To avoid other bad surprises.