'Disgrace To Victims, Their Kin': Swiss Bar Owner Released On Bail After Deadly New Year's Fire

Last Updated:January 24, 2026, 16:43 IST

The Constellation fire in Switzerland killed 40, injured over 100 people. Owner Jacques Moretti was bailed, angering victims' families and Italy's PM Meloni.

The owners of the "Le Constellation" bar in Crans-Montana, where the deadly fire happened on New Year's Day, Jacques and Jessica Moretti from France at the centre. (Image: AP)

Weeks after a deadly New Year’s Day fire tragedy at a Swiss bar killed 40 people and injured over 100, the owner has been released from detention on bail, sparking anger from victims’ families and Italy’s Prime Minister.

The incident took place at Le Constellation, a two-storey bar with a glass-enclosed terrace. According to reports, the sparklers attached to champagne bottles and held too close to the ceiling likely sparked the deadly fire. The blaze reportedly spread rapidly due to a flashover, and Swiss prosecutors have opened an investigation into possible criminal responsibility.

Reuters reported that 21 of the victims were Swiss nationals, seven were French, six were Italian, and others included Romanian, Turkish, Belgian and Portuguese citizens.

The dead also included a Swiss-French dual national and a French-British-Israeli national. Twenty-six of those killed were teenagers, with some as young as 14. The average age of the victims was 19. Many of the survivors are still hospitalised with severe burns in hospitals across Europe.

The owner, Jacques Moretti, was detained on January 9. He and his wife Jessica are under investigation for negligent homicide and other crimes linked to the blaze. Jacques’s bail arrangements include a 200,000 Swiss franc ($253,485) payment and an order to report daily to a police station, the court said.

Reuters quoted lawyers representing victims and their families saying they were struggling to understand the court order and said their clients were concerned about evidence disappearing.

“My clients note that once again no consideration has been given to the risk of collusion or the disappearance of evidence — a risk that greatly worries them and jeopardises the integrity of the proceedings," said Romain Jordan, a Swiss lawyer for over 20 families of victims.

AFP quoted Jean-Luc Addor, a lawyer for the relatives of a teenager killed in the tragedy, calling the bail as “a scandal and a disgrace to the victims and their families".

Criticising the decision, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni called the decision to release him “an affront to the memory of the victims of the New Year’s Eve tragedy and an insult to their families, who are suffering from the loss of their loved ones."

“The Italian government will demand answers from the Swiss authorities about what happened," she wrote on X.

Meanwhile, the lawyers representing the owners said in a statement: “Jessica and Jacques Moretti will both continue to comply with all requests from the authorities."

News world 'Disgrace To Victims, Their Kin': Swiss Bar Owner Released On Bail After Deadly New Year's Fire

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