Claude Grandjean

Claude Grandjean

Claude Grandjean (born September 7, 1943 in Granges ) is a Swiss politician ( SP ) and State Councilor of the canton of Friborg .

Life

Claude Grandjean is the son of the teacher Marcel Grandjean and Germaine born. Sallin. Claude Grandjean spent his youth in Granges.

In 1962 he passed the commercial matura at the St. Michael College and enrolled at the Philosophical Faculty of the University of Freiburg , in particular to study history . So he dealt with the manuscripts of General Henri Dufour . He taught in the Vivisbach District Orientation School (commercial subjects, history, French, political science).

From 1978 to 1991 he was General Councilor in Châtel-Saint-Denis . In 1991/92 he was responsible for the school sector for a short time as a councilor in this city. From 1986 to 1996 he was a social democratic member of the Vivisbach district in the Grand Council . In 1987 he successfully fought against the project of a federal sports center in Muntelier . He ran for the cantonal government in 1991 and for the National Council in 1995 and was elected to the State Council in 1996 , where he served for ten years. He headed the Justice, Police and Military Directorate, which became the Security and Justice Directorate in 2002. The first cantonal agency for mediation in juvenile criminal law was set up under his leadership. He reorganized the Office for Road Traffic and Shipping, which was given an autonomous status; two branches were opened in Domdidier and Vuadens . He created a specialist office for the integration of migrants and for the prevention of racism. At his suggestion, the community police took their first steps, while the gendarmerie was organized in three regional operations centers. In addition, he restructured the civil status system and the justice of the peace.

Claude Grandjean submitted the following laws to the Grand Council: commercial police (1997), a single cantonal commercial register office in place of the old district registers (2000), trading (2005), gaming machines and gaming rooms (partial revision 2006), judicial council (2006), concordat on enforcement imprisonment and measures taken against adults and young adults in the cantons of Latin Switzerland (2006) and public restaurants (partial revision 2006).

Under his direction, a new prison for early prison was planned in Bellechasse and a sports hall, the opening of which took place in August 2010.

In the military sector, Claude Grandjean presented the army's new deployment concept in 2005. The automobile park in Romont was closed, but the concentration on the Grolley infrastructure center in western Switzerland made it possible to maintain jobs there. Grandjean was very committed to this dossier and managed to make Grolley one of the most important logistics centers in Switzerland.

Several affairs involving the judiciary and the police came to the fore during his two terms in office. In 2000, he presented the conclusions of the investigation of two experts from outside the cantons into the grave maladministration in the criminal justice system between 1988 and 1998. It spoke of intolerable delays, abuse of power by the police, abuses in pre-trial detention, direct contacts between investigating judges and informants, events which the Endangering the independence of the investigating magistrates and illegal investigations abroad. The experts suggested measures to improve the work of examining magistrates and the judicial police.

Claude Grandjean was confronted with a difficult situation in 2001 when the number of asylum seekers increased massively and sans-papiers occupied the church of St. Paul and the art gallery Fri-Art in Freiburg. Tensions arose between the State Council and some SP Grand Councilors, and his party called for the situation of those Sans-Papiers who meet certain criteria and whose concerns can be justified to be settled. The Justice and Police Director endeavored to treat the cases humanely and achieved numerous positive decisions in this area by intervening with the federal authorities to help certain sans-papiers lead a regular life. The events had an impact on a political level: Claude Grandjean was brilliantly re-elected on November 11, 2001, and the Social Democrats lost six seats in the Grand Council.

Another case was the "Grossrieder Affair", so named after the head of the Freiburg drug brigade who was arrested in March 1998. Grandjean had been made aware of the matter by Federal Prosecutor Carla Del Ponte . The police officer was finally acquitted by the Saane District Court (July 4, 2000), but dismissed by the State Council “on legitimate grounds” (November 23, 2000). After his complaints in court, the state had to pay him compensation of around 330,000 francs.

In November 2000, the Security Police Association wrote to the Police Director denouncing the deterioration in relations between the police and their superiors, Claude Grandjean and Pierre Nidegger. An expert opinion on the functioning of the security police concluded that, although there were no serious grievances, there was an accumulation of internal problems due to a lack of communication. Around 40 suggestions were submitted to the police department. In 2001 the police received a code of professional ethics that includes various aspects such as service to the community, respect for people, obedience, integrity and impartiality, dignified behavior, professional secrecy and duty of loyalty.

In 2001 and 2006, Claude Grandjean presided over the State Council. From 1988 to 1996 he was a member of the Board of Directors of the Freiburger Kantonalbank . In his farewell speech, the President of the Grand Council emphasized the integrity and sensitivity of the outgoing State Councilor.

After his resignation, he presides over the cantonal commission for young people with difficulties integrating into the workforce and gives French lessons to foreigners as part of the voluntary activities organized by the Friborg Red Cross. He is also President of the Freiburg Chamber Orchestra.

Private

Grandjean has been married to Danielle Sulmoni since 1968. The couple has three children.

literature

• Georges Andrey , Hubertus von Gemmingen (translation): The Freiburg State Council: 1848–2011; History, organization, members . Ed .: John Clerc, Jean-Pierre Dorand, Nicholas Gex. Paulus, Freiburg 2012, ISBN 978-3-7228-0815-4 .