More than a month after the “Aux cœurs de Crans” benefit concert, held last April 22nd at the Salle Métropole in Lausanne, the Swiss media began to wonder where the money raised for charity and intended for the families of the victims of the Crans Montanana fire went: the alleged beneficiaries would not have seen a single cent.
To understand the gravity of the situation we need to take a step back to New Year’s Eve. A terrible fire breaks out in the Le Constellation bar in Crans-Montana, Switzerland. The toll is dramatic: 41 dead, most of them very young, and 115 injured. To help those who have lost everything or face enormous medical expenses, the non-profit association Swisshearts was born. And it is precisely to support this cause that the maxi-event in Lausanne is organized in April. The response from the public and the artists is extraordinary: tickets are sold for significant sums (starting from 90 Swiss francs). Around twenty music stars take the stage completely free of charge. Among them are Gjon’s Tears (third at Eurovision 2021) and the Pillar of Italian music Riccardo Cocciante. Everything was perfect, until it was time to do the math.
The proceeds estimated by the Swiss media are around 150 thousand francs. But those funds never reached their destination.
When journalists started asking uncomfortable questions about the exact amount collected and distribution times, the organizers apparently retreated behind a rubber wall. First they responded vaguely, then they promised an official clarification statement. A statement that, to date, has never been published. To complicate matters, there is the rebound of responsibility: the local institutions (the city of Lausanne and the Canton of Valais) have already made it known that they are not responsible for controlling the funds.
The shadow of the past: a conviction for fraud appears
Making the mystery even thicker are the details that emerged on the profile of one of the co-organizers of the event, linked to the Only On Live agency. The man, referred to by the Swiss press with the initial O., would not exactly be a new face for justice. In his past there would be legal troubles in 2005 for having obstructed a fraud investigation and a conviction in France in 2018 for “abuse of trust”, a case linked to a bad check for over 20 thousand euros against an acquaintance.
Lawyer Sébastien Fanti, who defends the rights of some of the families affected by the New Year’s Eve massacre, is trying to obtain concrete answers, but finds himself faced with a wall of silence. The Swisshearts website still states that 100% of donations go to direct and immediate support of survivors.