Overview
- The mayor, Nicolas Féraud, who faced questioning Monday in Sion, had his mobile phone seized as prosecutors probe arson, negligent homicide and injuries tied to omitted inspections in the blaze that killed 41 and injured 115.
- Féraud told investigators he did not know staffing shortages were hindering safety checks, a claim at odds with a 2023 audit that flagged shortfalls the municipal executive chose not to implement.
- Investigators are examining why required annual fire inspections did not occur for about five years at Le Constellation, as the municipality relied on an intercommunal body instead of creating its own fire commission.
- Rome prosecutors opened a parallel case and registered owners Jacques and Jessica Moretti as suspects for negligent disaster, multiple manslaughter, fire and grievous injuries under Italian law.
- Victims’ lawyers called the mayor’s interrogation a decisive step and expect further questioning of local officials as authorities map the chain of responsibility for the missed checks.