Monday, January 12th saw the co-owner of a Swiss bar destroyed in a lethal fire placed in preventive detention for three months, according to a source close to the case.
Jacques Moretti was taken into custody after he and his wife Jessica, who co-owned Le Constellation bar in the ski resort of Crans-Montana, were interviewed by prosecutors in Switzerland’s southwestern Wallis canton on Friday. The premises went up in flames during recent New Year celebrations.
A cantonal court on Monday ordered him to be held in preventive detention for three months, the source told AFP.
The fire broke out early on New Year’s Day when the bar was filled with partygoers, killing 40 people and injuring 116—most of them teenagers.
The Morettis are under criminal investigation, facing charges of manslaughter by negligence, bodily harm by negligence, and arson by negligence.
In Switzerland, the presumption of innocence applies until a final conviction is pronounced.
Initial findings suggest that the fire was caused by sparklers/indoor fireworks igniting soundproofing foam installed on the ceiling of the establishment’s basement.
Questions are also being raised regarding the presence and accessibility of fire extinguishers, whether the bar’s exits were in compliance with regulations, and whether prior to the fire the local inspections regime was adequate.
