The manager of the bar in the Swiss resort where a devastating New Year’s Eve fire killed 40 people is accused of fleeing with all the cash while victims desperately tried to escape.
Jessica Moretti and her husband, Jacques Moretti, both French nationals who have owned a luxury nightclub in Crans-Montana since 2015, are currently under investigation for manslaughter and causing injury to 119 other people.
According to the Italian newspaper La Repubblica, Jessica Moretti (40 years old) is accused of abandoning panicked partygoers as the fire engulfed the Le Constellation nightclub. Many witnesses claim to have seen her fleeing with a cash register in her hand.
Locals placed candles and flowers in front of the bar. Photo: JEAN-CHRISTOPHE BOTT/EPA/Shutterstock.
Furthermore, during the reconstruction of the scene using mobile phone videos, security cameras, and street cameras, investigators discovered that the couple had destroyed evidence by locking their social media accounts immediately after the fire.
Romain Jordan, a lawyer representing some of the 116 injured victims (many teenagers with disfigured burns), said that the Le Constellation bar’s Facebook and Instagram accounts were temporarily suspended while rescue operations were still underway.
Specifically, the fire broke out around 1:30 a.m. on New Year’s Day. Social media accounts were locked between 3 a.m. and 6:30 a.m., and the nightclub’s website was taken down while authorities worked to extinguish the fire and rescue people.
Jordan’s lawyer argued that the deleted accounts contained numerous videos of the crowded party, demonstrating that the administrators likely feared liability.
The lawyer emphasized: “My client wants clear answers regarding the chain of responsibility leading to this tragedy. Not only the nightclub management, but also the local authorities must be investigated.”
The cause of the fire was determined to be flares attached to Champagne bottles that ignited the ceiling while the crowd was celebrating.
Following the tragedy, Jacques Moretti (49 years old) assured La Tribune de Genève that the bar complied with regulations and that the nightclub had been inspected three times in the past 10 years.
Jacques was not present at the scene when the fire occurred. However, prosecutors stated that Crans-Montana authorities admitted the bar had not undergone safety inspections since 2019.
Earlier this week, the Moretti couple spoke out, sharing their shock, offering condolences to the victims, and pledging to cooperate with the investigation, affirming that they would not shirk responsibility. Additionally, in an interview with La Repubblica, Jessica Moretti stated that she only suffered “minor burns on one arm” during the fire.
The victims’ lawyers criticized the authorities’ failure to detain the couple. They warned that the Morettis might flee to France, a country that rarely extradites its citizens, to avoid trial in Switzerland.
Notably, Le Parisien revealed that Jacques Moretti had an extensive criminal record spanning over 20 years in France. Legal sources indicate that he had served time in prison for offenses related to pimping, fraud, kidnapping, and unlawful detention.
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