Swiss authorities have intensified their investigation into one of the country’s deadliest peacetime disasters after the owners of a Crans-Montana bar were questioned over a New Year’s Eve inferno that killed 40 people and injured more than 100 others.
Jacques Moretti, 49, and his wife Jessica, 40, owners of the Le Constellation bar, appeared at the prosecutor’s office in Sion on Friday as part of a wide-ranging criminal probe into the blaze. The married couple have been charged with manslaughter by negligence, bodily harm by negligence and arson by negligence. Footage from outside the courthouse showed them struggling through crowds of reporters, with Jessica visibly breaking down in tears.
Their appearance came on a day of national mourning in Switzerland, as the country paid tribute to the victims — many of them teenagers — who died when fire ripped through the packed basement nightclub in the popular ski resort shortly after midnight on New Year’s Eve.
Investigators say 116 people were injured in the blaze, many suffering severe and life-altering burns. Police have since confirmed that all 40 victims have been formally identified. The dead ranged in age from 14 to 39, with teenagers accounting for more than half of those killed. Of the victims, 21 were Swiss citizens, seven were French and six were Italian.
The investigation has been further fuelled by allegations surrounding the owners’ actions during and after the fire. Local media have reported that Jessica Moretti was seen fleeing the venue with a cash register as flames spread through the bar. She has been accused of ignoring customers who were pleading for help and escaping with the night’s takings, claims that could lead to additional charges, including failure to assist people in danger.
There are also accusations that the couple attempted to destroy evidence in the immediate aftermath of the disaster. Romain Jordan, a lawyer representing several of the injured victims, said the bar’s Facebook and Instagram accounts were allegedly suspended between 3am and 6.30am while rescue operations were still underway. “It’s curious that while the emergency operation was under way, someone was thinking about this,” he told The Times.
Further scrutiny has fallen on Jacques Moretti’s past, with reports that he previously served a prison sentence and had a criminal history including fraud and kidnapping. Police are also examining renovation work carried out at the venue in 2015, amid allegations that safety standards were inadequate. Former staff have claimed emergency exits were often locked, a claim investigators are now assessing.
Prosecutors believe the fire may have started when “fountain candle” sparklers were held too close to the ceiling, triggering a rapid flashover that engulfed the nightclub within minutes. Images taken before the fire show a bartender wearing a helmet while holding a sparkler aloft.
As the probe continues, the tragedy has prompted nationwide grief and renewed debate in Switzerland over nightclub safety, fire regulations and accountability for preventable disasters.
