Fire disaster Civil parties question bar owner Jacques Moretti
The owner of the bar "Le Constellation", Jacques Moretti, has to face questions from the victims' lawyers at his third hearing on Wednesday. A mother of two seriously injured young women is taking part in the hearings.
11.02.2026, 11:24
SDA
"The victims expect Jacques Moretti to answer their questions clearly at this hearing," said lawyer Gilles-Antoine Hofstetter, who represents affected families from the canton of Vaud, on Wednesday. And he also has this hope, but no certainty.
According to Fabrizio Ventimiglia, the Italian lawyer for the civil parties, several topics will be discussed on Wednesday. In particular, there are questions about security, but also about the number of people present at the time of the drama and the sale of alcohol to minors.
Victim's mother wants to hear the truth
Leila Micheloud, mother of two young women who suffered burns on New Year's Eve, is taking part in the questioning accompanied by her lawyer Sébastien Fanti. "My presence is my way of healing," she said.
"By being here, I am showing that the victims are not just names on a list, but also have faces. I expect answers. The truth. Nothing more and nothing less," said the Valais woman.
Bar owner Moretti was taken into custody on January 9 and released 14 days later on bail of 200,000 francs. Like his wife, he was placed under restraint. The couple are currently under investigation for involuntary manslaughter, negligent bodily harm and negligent arson.
Jacques Moretti arrived on Wednesday morning at 9.15 a.m. accompanied by his wife Jessica. Both entered the Energypolis campus in Sion, where the hearing took place, through a side door. They made no statement to the journalists present.
Jacques Moretti's wife, Jessica Moretti, will be questioned again by the public prosecutor's office on Thursday morning. The victims' lawyers will also be able to ask questions during her questioning.
The court hearings are important for the Morettis. They are also "an ordeal", which is intensified by the fact that they "experience them in complete isolation", Yaël Hayat, Jessica Moretti's lawyer, told Franceinfo on Wednesday morning. The Moretti couple had said from the outset that they did not want to evade justice and did not intend to try to do so.
