The co-owner of the Swiss bar hit by a deadly fire during New Year celebrations was released from custody on Friday after bail was paid on his behalf, dismaying victims’ families.
French couple Jacques and Jessica Moretti’s bar, Le Constellation, in the ski resort of Crans-Montana, caught fire early on January 1 as partygoers celebrated.
Forty people, mostly teenagers, were killed in the blaze, and 116 others were injured.
The Morettis are under criminal investigation, facing charges of manslaughter by negligence, bodily harm by negligence and arson by negligence.
Prosecutors believe the fire started when revellers raised champagne bottles with sparklers attached close to sound insulation foam on the ceiling of the bar’s basement level.
Investigators are analysing whether the foam met safety standards, and whether the bar’s fittings, fire safety equipment and emergency exits were all in order.
Jacques Moretti had been held in custody since January 9, while his wife has remained at liberty, under certain restrictions.
But he was cleared for release on bail of 200,000 Swiss francs ($250,000).
Jean-Luc Addor, a lawyer for the relatives of a teenager killed in the tragedy, told AFP it was “a scandal and a disgrace to the victims and their families”.
The Compulsory Measures Court in Wallis canton said in a statement it had duly “lifted the detention in custody” at a hearing on Friday.
Instead, it ordered “standard measures… designed to counter the risk of flight” — namely a ban on leaving Switzerland, the surrender of identity and residence documents and reporting daily to a police station.
The bail was paid by a close friend, the statement said.
A statement from the Morettis’s lawyers said the couple “will continue to respond to all requests from the authorities. Their thoughts remain with the victims of this tragedy”.
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‘Shocking decision’
Lawyers for victims’ families were taken aback by the decision.
Christophe De Galembert, representing a bereaved father, said it was an “unexpected and shocking decision”.
Romain Jordan, a lawyer for several victims’ families, told AFP: “My clients note that, once again, no consideration has been given to the risk of collusion and the disappearance of evidence — a risk that greatly concerns them and compromises the integrity of the investigation.”
Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani called it a “real affront” to the victims’ families. Six Italians were among those killed.
“We will strengthen our support and solidarity with the parents of the victims of this extraordinary tragedy. We will continue to work together to ensure that the Swiss authorities ascertain the truth, and responsibility for what happened,” he said on X.
The bar’s owners were formally questioned for a second time this week, with both facing 10 hours of questioning.
They will face a further round of questioning at a date yet to be fixed, prosecutors said.
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70 still in hospital
Around 70 of the injured were still in hospital in Switzerland and abroad, Swiss authorities and hospitals said.
Patients were sent to specialist burns facilities around Switzerland and in neighbouring France, Germany and Italy, as well as Belgium.
According to sources contacted by AFP between Wednesday and Friday, around 26 people were still in Swiss hospitals this week: 12 in Zurich, 10 in Lausanne, two in Geneva and two in Wallis.
Switzerland’s Federal Office for Civil Protection told AFP on Thursday that 44 victims — Swiss and foreign — were still in hospitals abroad.
The picture is constantly changing, with patients moving between hospitals for different stages of their treatment, and some patients being readmitted.
Some are still in intensive care and some remain in a serious condition.
