Jacques Moretti, owner of Le Constellation bar in Crans-Montana, was arrested on Friday as grief turns to anger over the New Year's Eve fire that killed 40 people, mostly teenagers and young adults. Moretti and his wife Jessica are under investigation for manslaughter through negligence, with prosecutors questioning them in Sion before detaining Mr Moretti.
The fire, one of Switzerland's deadliest in recent history, broke out around 1:30 am on 1 January after sparklers attached to champagne bottles were held too close to a ceiling clad with soundproofing foam. A social media image showed a female server holding sparklers moments before the blaze; she was among the dead. The youngest victim was 14, and 83 people remain hospitalised with severe burns.
Lawyers representing victims' families have accused investigators of moving too slowly. Romain Jordan and Ronald Asmar of Geneva-based Merkt claim the Morettis deactivated the bar's Instagram and Facebook accounts after the fire, potentially deleting useful evidence. 'This attitude should have alerted the prosecutors immediately,' Jordan said, adding that authorities initially tried to exclude family lawyers from the hearing.
Mayor Nicolas Féraud admitted on Tuesday that no safety inspections had been conducted at the bar since 2019, despite local law requiring annual checks. 'We're profoundly sorry, and I know how hard that will be for the families,' he said, pledging full transparency. The investigation focuses on renovations, fire-extinguishing systems, escape routes, and the number of people inside at the time.
A national day of mourning was observed on Friday, with a memorial ceremony attended by French President Emmanuel Macron and Italian President Sergio Mattarella. The Morettis, who bought and renovated the bar in 2015, have denied wrongdoing and expressed devastation, promising full cooperation with the investigation.
