Valérie Dittli avoids judicial troubles thanks to a financial agreement – rts.ch

Valérie Dittli avoids judicial troubles thanks to a financial agreement – rts.ch


The Vaud State Councilor Valérie Dittli was to appear before the Attorney General as a warning of abuse of authority in particular. But the summons was canceled after secret talks between the magistrate and a lawyer who had filed a complaint against her, reveals the RTS.

Imagine the scene: Valérie Dittli who goes to the headquarters of the central public prosecutor, in Renens, to be heard as a warned by Eric Kaltenrier. This scene should have taken place in January, but the Vaudois prosecutor general canceled the summons following a confidential agreement entered between the Vaud State Councilor and the former president of the rural land commission, who had filed a complaint against She.

To fully understand this affair unveiled by the RTS investigation center, you must first camp the decor. The rural land commission oversees, among other things, sales of agricultural land in the canton. It is made up of five to seven members appointed by the Council of State.

Its supervisory authority is the Department of Finance and Agriculture, led by Valérie Dittli. He can sue the decisions taken by the Commission in court.

A Figure of the Commission

Lausanne lawyer, Jean-Claude Mathey was a figure in the rural land commission for more than twenty years. He has chaired this body since 2015, but his mandate ended abruptly in April 2024 due to a dispute with Valérie Dittli.

According to information from the RTS, confirmed by the Vaud public prosecutor, this man filed a criminal complaint against this period against the State Councilor for slander, subsidiary defamation, abuse of authority and violation of the secrecy of function of function .

This legal action punctuates a year of tensions between the two protagonists. According to overcrowded sources, Jean-Claude Mathey recounts two conflicting episodes in his complaint. He first returns to friction around a first decision of the rural land commission dating from April 2023.

At that time, the commission authorized the foundation of liquidation of the Riviera hospitals to sell plots to the company Orllati. The Department of Agriculture resorts to court against this authorization, denouncing an incomplete observation of the facts. The commission then cancels its first decision, puts the work on the profession and renders a new identical decision on the substance, but more developed this time.

In November 2023, the justice system noted that the contested decision was canceled and that the appeal of the department has therefore become without object. But this episode leaves traces.

Reproached favoritism

Jean-Claude Mathey briefly referred in his complaint to a second decision of the rural land commission, this time taken in November 2023. She too was challenged by the Department of Agriculture, in January 2024.

Asked about the reasons for the appeal, Valérie Dittli refuses to give details to the RTS, invoking the current procedure before the Court of Administrative and Public Law (read box below).

According to a source, in this file, the department would criticize Jean-Claude Mathey for having favored an individual instead of applying rural land, which he disputes.

Refusal to get into the row

However, it is precisely the content of the appeal of the department of agriculture against this second decision of the rural land commission which is at the origin of the criminal complaint.

According to several sources, Jean-Claude Mathey claims in his complaint that he was slandered by the written remarks made by Valérie Dittli towards him. He claims to have asked for written explanations from the magistrate, but never received it.

In her eyes, she even pushed him towards the release of the commission simply because he expressed his dissatisfaction and asked for answers to his letters. For him, she would have been guilty of abuse of authority.

Faced with these accusations by RTS, Valérie Dittli refused to answer them (Read box below).

Discussions capped

Almost two months after the filing of his complaint, Jean-Claude Mathey is auditioned by the Vaudois prosecutor. We are in June 2024. In parallel, discussions took place with Valérie Dittli around a financial arrangement.

According to information from the RTS, there is a question of withdrawal of complaints conditioned for the payment of some 30,000 francs, an amount covering in particular the complaints of the complainant.

But negotiations do not succeed. Questioned by the RTS, the Vaud parquet specifies that “no exchange between the parties took place within the framework of the criminal procedure before the public prosecutor, which was however informed of current talks”.

Immunity

After the summer of 2024, Eric Kaltenrieder decided to move forward. For him, it is possible that the State Councilor has fallen. “After examining the complaint and hearing of the complainant, the Attorney General considered having sufficient indices of an offense justifying the opening of a criminal instruction, it being specified that Mrs. Dittli benefits at this stage of the presumption of innocence “, specifies by email Vincent Derouand, communications manager of the Vaud public prosecutor.

However, in order to be able to hear the magistrate as a defendant, the chief of the prosecution must first request the lifting of his immunity at the office of the Grand Council of Vaud. On October 16, he then contacted this body made up of elected officials from all the parties represented in Parliament.

On November 21, the office learned about the file sent by the Attorney General and authorized the opening of a criminal investigation. “We wanted the public prosecutor to go to the end of his instruction. In addition, we contacted the magistrate questioned and she did not oppose the lifting of his immunity,” explains the president of the Grand Council Jean- François Thuillard.

Size

In the days that follow, the public prosecutor summons the State Councilor to confront her with the accusations. “Madame Dittli was quoted to appear as a warning to a hearing initially fixed in January 2025,” said Vincent Derouand.

But two weeks after the convening of the magistrate, the case experiences a major twist. The complainant withdraws his complaint and informs the public prosecutor.

Contacted by RTS, Jean-Claude Mathey does not wish to explain this turnaround or answer other questions about his dispute with the magistrate. He evokes “a confidentiality agreement”.

Solicited also (read box below), Valérie Dittli does not deliver any information on the agreement.

In turn, the Chancellor of the Vaud state agrees to lift the veil “on the aspect of financial care”. “Introduce with the Department of Agriculture, the Council of State admitted the coverage of an amount of 8000 francs as lawyers for Jean-Claude Mathey, in accordance with the practices of the .

On the other hand, it is impossible to know if the agreement contains other clauses, for example compensations which would not be financial.

Classified procedure

Despite the withdrawal of complaints, the public prosecutor could have questioned Valérie Dittli, the abuse of authority being an offense pursued. But the Attorney General decided to stop there. “After analyzing all the elements brought to his attention at this stage, whose additional explanations of M.Mathey in the context of the withdrawal of his complaint, the Attorney General has given up hearing Ms. Dittli,” explains Vincent Derouand.

On December 17, 2024, Eric Kaltenrieder therefore issued “a notice of next closure”, a document in which he announced to the parties his intention to classify the procedure, which he has just done in recent days.

On December 19, 2024, in a statement written by the services of Valérie Dittli, the Vaudois Council of State announced that Jean-Claude Mathey decided to “end his functions” of the president of the rural land commission in April 2024, or Eight months before the release of the press release.

The government evokes “a long -respected president” and testifies to him “his recognition for his commitment and the extent of his professional skills put at the service of the rural land commission for more than twenty years”.

The two -page press release makes no reference to the dispute between the protagonists, or to the criminal complaint filed and then withdrawn.

Fabiano Lemoni, RTS investigation center

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