Grenfell: Building safety minister tells cladding firm bosses to stop hiding behind law

Building safety minister Stephen Greenhalgh called the company out on Twitter

Grenfell mural
NEVER FORGET: A woman reads messages of support written on the wall surrounding Grenfell tower in west London (Photo via Getty Images)

THE BUILDING minister has criticised bosses at a cladding firm who may not appear at a Grenfell inquiry.

Three of the people who have been asked to appear suggest that the 1968 French Blocking Statute means they cannot testify as witnesses.

However, the French government has said they do not believe the blocking statute applies to witnesses asked to testify at the Grenfell inquiry.

Others have pointed out that the law is rarely used.

Claude Wehrle is one of the witnesses that may avoid testifying.

He previously worked at Arconic in a senior position, and had warned his colleagues that cladding panels were dangerous.

Gwenaelle Derrendinger, who still works at Arconic and Peter Froehlich, who has now left the company have also been called to testify.

They claim that the same law prevents them from appearing.

Arconic made the panels which caused fire to spread so quickly up and down Grenfell Tower.

Though the company is based in America, the executives who have been called to face the inquiry are based in Germany and France.

The political controversy has gone on for months, since the inquiry revealed in November that the executives may not attend.

‘Do the right thing’

Stephen Greenhalgh, Minister of State for Building Safety tweeted on Sunday: “Time for these @arconic executives to step up to the plate and appear before the #GrenfellTower Inquiry rather than hide behind the 1968 French Blocking Statute.”

Inquiry lawyer, Richard Millett QC has asked the witnesses to do the right thing.

Other witnesses from Arconic, who are based in the United Kingdom have agreed to testify.

On social media, Twitter users claimed that government should also focus on helping home owners, currently living in homes with unsafe cladding and dealing with expensive costs.

On June 17, Grenfell Tower in the London borough of Kensington and Chelsea went up in flames, and 72 people died according to official reports.

An Arconic spokesperson said: AAP SAS has fully cooperated with the authorities and the Inquiry at all times. 

“The individuals who have declined to participate in the Inquiry have taken the advice of separate counsel and AAP SAS does not have any influence on those decisions. 

“The three witnesses who are represented by the company’s counsel are prepared to provide evidence including Claude Schmidt, AAP SAS’s corporate representative.”

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