Swiss authorities have agreed to release the co-owner of the Crans-Montana bar, where 40 people died in a fire early on New Year's Day, after he hands over all his documents to prevent him from fleeing the country during a criminal investigation, UNN reports with reference to Bloomberg.
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Corsican Jacques Moretti, who ran Le Constellation with his wife Jessica, was detained after questioning by prosecutors on Friday. The court of the local canton of Valais ruled on Tuesday that he must also report daily to the police station and post bail, the amount of which is still being determined.
Owner of Swiss bar where dozens died on New Year's Eve arrested09.01.26, 19:26 • [views_3901]
"All defendants are presumed innocent until a conviction becomes final," the court said. "Therefore, a fundamental principle of Swiss criminal procedure is that the defendant remains free until trial," the court said, especially given that Valais prosecutors did not request his detention.
Attention in the ongoing criminal investigation into one of Switzerland's worst tragedies is focused on the couple and their management of the bar. According to the prosecutor, a service door that could have offered a second evacuation route in the bar was locked at the time of the incident, Swiss broadcaster RTS reported.
According to prosecutors, the fire was likely caused by sparklers held aloft in champagne bottles, igniting flammable foam. Jacques Moretti bought the soundproofing foam at a hardware store and attached it to the bar's ceiling himself, RTS reported.