rome
Reuters
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The court’s decision drew criticism in both countries, with Italy on Saturday formally protesting the release of bail for the owner of a Swiss bar involved in a deadly fire on New Year’s Day and recalling its ambassador to Switzerland.
Jack Moretti, owner of Le Constellation bar in Crans-Montana, and his wife Jessica are being investigated for negligent homicide and other charges in connection with the fire that killed 40 people and injured more than 100, many of them teenagers.
Jack Moretti was taken into custody on January 9, but was released on bail on Friday.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said overnight that Moretti’s release was “an insult to the memory of the victims and an insult to their families.”
Six people who died in the bar fire were Italian nationals, as were 10 who were injured.
A government statement on Saturday said Meloni and Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani had instructed the Italian ambassador to immediately contact Beatrice Piroud, the chief public prosecutor in the Swiss canton of Valais, to express Italy’s “strong outrage” over Moretti’s release.
The court further added that it took this decision despite the seriousness of the alleged crime, the risk of flight and the potential for evidence to be compromised.
“All of Italy demands truth and justice and calls for respectful measures to be taken in the wake of this disaster, taking full account of the suffering and expectations of the families,” it said in a statement.
Meloni and Tajani also ordered Ambassador Gian Lorenzo Cornado to return to Rome to determine what further steps should be taken, the statement said.
Swiss prosecutor Piroud confirmed to Swiss news agency Keystone SDA that Moretti had been contacted by the Italian ambassador, but said another court had ordered Moretti’s release.
“I do not want to be responsible for diplomatic incidents between our two countries. I will not bow to any pressure from the Italian authorities. That is why I have advised the ambassador to appeal directly to the Swiss political authorities.”
A spokesperson for the Swiss Foreign Ministry could not be reached for comment.
Mourners gather to remember the victims of the Swiss ski resort fire.
Moretti was released under a bail agreement that includes paying 200,000 Swiss francs (approximately $256,377) and an order to report to a police station every day.
Lawyers for fire victims and their families said they were having trouble understanding the court order, adding that their clients feared evidence would be lost.
“This is another slap in the face to a wound that will never heal,” Andrea Costanzo, who lost her 16-year-old daughter Chiara in the fire, said in comments published in an Italian newspaper on Saturday.
Both Morettis expressed sadness over the tragedy and said they would cooperate with prosecutors.
In a statement after Jack Moretti’s release, their lawyer said they “continue to comply with all requests from the authorities.”
