Swiss fraud squad investigators have launched a major operation against the multi-millionaire owners of a bar where 40 people perished in a horrific New Year's Eve fire. Police raided the couple's 'property empire', seizing crucial evidence as part of a manslaughter probe.
Coordinated Raids and Arrests
In a coordinated action on Friday, officers forced open and searched buildings linked to the business holdings of Jacques and Jessica Moretti, the owners of Le Constellation bar in the exclusive Alpine resort of Crans Montana. Documents, computers, and other vital evidence were confiscated, with their businesses remaining closed.
Jacques Moretti, 49, was taken into custody. His wife, Jessica Moretti, 40, was forced to wear an electronic tag and ordered not to leave Switzerland. The couple, both French nationals originally from Corsica, were questioned by prosecutors about the blaze that engulfed their basement bar.
A Past Shadowed by Crime
The investigation casts a spotlight on the owners' controversial past. Mr Moretti is a former pimp who served a two-year prison sentence for fraud in 2005. He later served another jail term in 2007 for recruiting prostitutes for an erotic massage parlour in Geneva called the Hot Rabbit.
The couple deny any civil or criminal offences related to the fire. Their property portfolio, purchased with cash, extends beyond Le Constellation to include Le Senso, a Corsican restaurant in Crans-Montana, and Le Vieux Chalet in nearby Lens.
The 'Deathtrap' and a Deadly Celebration
Investigators have branded Le Constellation a 'deathtrap'. The tragedy unfolded when partygoers celebrating the New Year were overcome by flames and toxic smoke. The fire started after sparklers attached to champagne bottles, held aloft by a waitress on a waiter's shoulders, ignited highly flammable acoustic foam on the ceiling.
This caused a catastrophic 'flashover'—a near-simultaneous explosion of everything in the enclosed basement space. Half of the 40 victims were under the age of 18, including a 14-year-old French boy.
The couple now await a potential trial on charges including manslaughter by negligence, causing bodily harm by negligence, and arson by negligence. A Swiss legal source stated the pair will appear before a court again within 48 hours, where Jessica Moretti could also be placed in a cell.
In a statement, the Morettis said: 'Please be assured of our full cooperation [with investigators] and that we will not attempt to evade any of these matters.' Swiss President Guy Parmelin described the disaster as 'one of the worst tragedies that our country has experienced'.
