Swiss court releases bar owner in deadly Crans-Montana fire case

A court in Switzerland has decided to release the detained co-owner of a bar linked to the devastating New Year's Eve fire in Crans-Montana, imposing a stringent set of alternative measures instead.

The Court's Ruling and Conditions

The Valais canton's Tribunal of Coercive Measures ruled on Thursday to lift the pretrial detention of Jacques Moretti, co-owner of the Le Constellation bar. The court mandated substitute measures to mitigate any flight risk, including a prohibition on leaving Switzerland, the surrender of his identity documents, and a requirement to report daily to local police authorities.

Substantial Financial Guarantee Posted

A key condition was the posting of a 200,000 Swiss franc (over $250,000) financial guarantee, which the court described as "adequate and dissuasive." According to the tribunal's statement, this sum was deposited into the public prosecutor's account on Thursday, provided by a close friend of the suspect. The court reiterated that under Swiss law, pretrial detention is an exceptional, non-punitive measure, and the presumption of innocence applies until a final conviction.

Background of the Deadly Incident

Moretti was initially ordered into provisional detention on January 12 following the tragic fire at the ski resort bar, which resulted in 40 fatalities and over a hundred injuries. A criminal investigation into allegations of "negligent homicide, negligent personal injury and negligent arson" is ongoing against both Jacques Moretti and his wife, Jessica Moretti. Preliminary reports indicated the bar had not undergone a mandatory annual safety inspection for five years prior to the blaze.