Overview
- Leaked interrogation records reported in France suggest co-owners Jacques and Jessica Moretti blamed a deceased waitress’s sparkler routine for igniting the blaze, a claim rejected by her family and witnesses.
- France 2 aired video from mid-December showing staff struggling to prop up loose foam panels on the low basement ceiling, as lawyers say employees received no safety training about the material’s risks.
- Prosecutors are investigating the Morettis for negligent manslaughter, negligent bodily harm and negligent arson after the January 1 fire killed 40 people and injured 116 at Le Constellation in Crans‑Montana.
- Victims’ lawyers fault investigators for slow actions, noting the bar was first searched January 7, the owners’ phones were seized January 9 at lawyers’ insistence, and early autopsies in Switzerland were limited.
- Jacques Moretti was detained January 9 and released on January 23 on 200,000 Swiss francs bail with restrictions, drawing public anger in Italy, which lost six nationals and briefly recalled its ambassador for consultations.