Criminal proceedings against lawyers and journalists following Valais fire disaster
Following the Crans-Montana fire, the Valais public prosecutor's office is investigating lawyers and journalists over alleged breaches of confidentiality from ongoing investigations.
Valais authorities act against breaches of confidentiality
Following the fire disaster in Crans-Montana, the Valais public prosecutor's office has initiated criminal proceedings against lawyers and journalists. This is reported by Blick citing the newspaper «Le Temps». The background involves information from ongoing investigations repeatedly becoming public.
According to «Le Temps», the publication of confidential investigation documents could influence witness interviews and hamper the investigations. Should media prejudgement be established, this could potentially benefit the operator couple Moretti in the form of a reduced sentence.
The exact number of proceedings is unknown. In the case of the lawyers, proceedings are likely to have been opened for "disobedience to an official order" — the public prosecutor's office had explicitly obligated all parties involved in the proceedings to maintain confidentiality. This criminal offence can be punished with a fine.
According to «Le Temps», at least one journalist has been summoned by the criminal police for October. He holds the status of an "informant" — a position that lies between that of a witness and that of an accused person.
Source: Blick