Swiss Prosecutor Seeks Detention of Owner After Crans-Montana Bar Fire

Prosecutors in Switzerland asked a court on Friday to detain Jacques Moretti, a co‑owner of Le Constellation, the ski‑town bar in Crans‑Montana where a New Year’s Eve fire killed 40 people and injured more than 110. Investigators questioned Mr. Moretti and his wife, Jessica Moretti; she was released after questioning.

Lead prosecutor Béatrice Pilloud said she asked that Mr. Moretti be placed in pretrial detention based on his statements during questioning and his background, saying the Public Prosecutor’s Office considered "there was a real risk of him fleeing." Ms. Pilloud did not explicitly state that he had been arrested; several French and Swiss outlets reported an arrest, and a local court official said the court had not yet received the prosecutor’s request but that under Swiss law law enforcement can place defendants in provisional detention for 48 hours while the court weighs the request.

Swiss investigators believe sparklers caused the fire, and witnesses and video footage suggest pyrotechnics placed on bottles of alcohol ignited foam insulation covering parts of the ceiling. The Morettis had been under criminal investigation over suspicions that negligence played a role, and local authorities have come under scrutiny after the mayor, Nicolas Féraud, acknowledged safety inspections at the bar had not been carried out since 2019.

Key Topics

World, Jacques Moretti, Crans-montana, Le Constellation, Jessica Moretti, Béatrice Pilloud