Public prosecutor closes church abuse case in canton Valais

Church abuse: Case closed in Valais Keystone-SDA

The Public Prosecutor's Office in the southern canton of Valais has closed the case of abuse perpetrated within the Church. All the facts denounced are statute-barred or have not been the subject of a criminal complaint, it stated in a press release on Thursday.

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Opened in September 2023, the investigation has identified 20 potential perpetrators. Seven of them are now deceased, while three have been implicated by several people for separate acts. And in eleven cases, the Capuchin canons or priests could not be identified.

In all, thirty-six people reported to the police. Twenty-five reported criminal acts of which they were victims or witnesses. Eleven reported acts which did not give rise to a criminal offence, explained the Public Prosecutor’s Office.

Translated from French by DeepL/jdp

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