Owner of Swiss bar where 40 died in tragic New Year fire detained for three months due to 'flight risk'
The manager of a bar that caught fire during a New Year's Eve celebration, killing 40 people and injuring 116 others, will be detained for three months.
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Jacques Moretti, co-owner and manager of Le Constellation bar in Crans-Montana, will be held for 90 days due to possible "flight risk" as highlighted by prosecutors.
On Monday, a judge at what is known as a court of coercive measures ruled that he should be kept in custody for three months - a period that can be renewed under Swiss law.
It is known as provisional - or preventive - detention and is meant to last until a case goes to court.
Swiss authorities have opened a criminal investigation into Moretti and his wife and the bar's co-owner.
Jessica Moretti, also French, is currently under house arrest.
They are suspected of involuntary homicide, involuntary bodily harm and involuntarily causing a fire.
The office of Patrick Michod, a lawyer for Moretti, did not respond to emailed requests for comment and his secretary said the attorney was not immediately available.
Lawyers for Jessica Moretti, in a statement, said the court decision would allow her husband "to regain freedom" once conditions are arranged.
Investigators believe that sparkling candles ignited the fire when they came too close to the ceiling, which was outfitted with soundproofing material.
Authorities were looking into whether the material conformed with regulations and whether the candles were permitted for use in the bar. Fire safety inspections hadn't been carried out since 2019.
Swiss President Guy Parmelin said that Switzerland was "appalled" by the tragedy.
Investigators have now established that 34 of those who died in the fire at Le Constellation, in the ski resort of Crans Montana, were trapped after a cramped staircase collapsed.
The staircase, leading up to the door from the basement bar, fell apart as people rushed to escape the blaze.
The stairwell had been narrowed by two-thirds by the owner after renovations, the investigation found.
Swiss police found numerous bodies at the bottom of the stairs after the wooden steps and handrails detached from the wall and collapsed.