The owner of Le Constellation bar, Jessica (centre) and Jacques Moretti (right) arrive at a hearing at the Office of the Public Prosecutor of the Canton of Valais in Sion. Photo / Maxime Schmid, AFP
The owner of Le Constellation bar, Jessica (centre) and Jacques Moretti (right) arrive at a hearing at the Office of the Public Prosecutor of the Canton of Valais in Sion. Photo / Maxime Schmid, AFP
A relative of one of the 41 people who died in a fire in a Swiss bar on New Year’s Eve shouted, “You killed my brother”, at the owners as they arrived for questioning.
Jacques and Jessica Moretti, the French proprietors of Le Constellation in the Alpine ski resort ofCrans-Montana, were confronted by grieving relatives outside the prosecutor’s office in Sion, in the canton of Valais, on Thursday.
Shouts of “look at me in the eyes” and “no forgiveness, no forgetting” rang out as the pair made their way towards the building.
One furious man who lost a brother in the blaze shouted: “You killed my big brother, you b*****. No, look me in the eyes. You killed my brother. Please look at me. Stop pretending.”
His mother added: “You killed my son. Where is my son? You are monsters. How can you manage to eat and sleep?”
The fire is thought to have started when a fountain sparkler brushed over flammable soundproofing foam on the ceiling.
The Morettis are under criminal investigation for manslaughter by negligence, negligent bodily harm, and negligent arson after the blaze tore through the packed nightclub in the early hours of January 1. The fire killed 41 people, 20 of whom were under 18, and injured 115 others, many of them teenagers.
Gulcin Kaya (centre), who lost her son, Taylan Kaya, in the fire, confronts Jacques Moretti as he arrives for the hearing. Photo / Maxime Schmid, AFP
Moretti looked on, visibly moved by the cries from the grieving families.
One father yelled: “My son is dead, he was burnt.”
Parents of the victims organised the gathering, determined to face the couple directly.
In a statement, Christian Pidoux, whose 17-year-old son Trystan died in the fire, said he had helped convene victims’ families “because there are truths that cannot be conveyed through files or decisions, but only through a gaze that cannot be avoided”.
Moretti briefly turned away from the jeering crowd before saying: “We will take responsibility. We promise you, we are here for justice.”
Thursday’s angry scenes followed a markedly different moment the previous day, when Moretti was questioned by lawyers for victims’ families and met privately with Leila Micheloud, whose two daughters narrowly survived the fire with burns.
“It’s a path to healing. We’re waiting for answers, the truth, for them to tell the truth; we’re not asking for anything more,” she said before the hearing.
“We’re in a battle. I have to be here. When you have two of your children who almost died, you’re not afraid of anything.”
Co-owner of Le Constellation bar, Jacques Moretti (centre), arrives for the hearing. Photo / Maxime Schmid, AFP
Sebastien Fanti, Micheloud’s lawyer, said the 20-minute meeting was “an extremely intense and rare moment”.
“In order to understand each other, to talk to each other, to forgive each other – we have to talk.
“There will be a time to say who is responsible for what, but there is also a time for humanity, for thinking of all the victims and all those who have been injured.”
Yael Hayat, the Morettis’ lawyer, said: “For everyone involved, this moment may be one of respite in their shared suffering.”
Nicola Meier, their other lawyer, added: “Obviously, if others feel the same need, the Morettis will be there.”
Fabrizio Ventimiglia, an Italian lawyer representing victims’ families, said he was seeking answers not only about safety standards at the bar but also about how many people were inside when the fire broke out and whether alcohol had been sold to minors. Six Italians died in the blaze.
Prosecutors in Valais said about 50 orders and warrants had been issued and more than a dozen hearings held. The case file runs to almost 2000 pages, with more than 8500 documents and 263 civil parties represented by 74 lawyers.
A makeshift memorial at the site also caught fire on Sunday after candles were left burning.
Candles have since been banned and the book of condolence has been moved to a nearby chapel. The Swiss government has announced a state “solidarity contribution” to support victims and their families.
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