Fire disaster Moretti's release is "unacceptable" for Foreign Minister Tajani
The decision by the Valais court to release bar owner Jacques Moretti from pre-trial detention is unacceptable for the government and the whole of Italy. Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said this at a media conference.
24.01.2026, 11:28
24.01.2026, 14:50
SDA
"The Prime Minister and I are deeply outraged. Not only as representatives of the Italian government, but also as parents and I also as a grandfather," Tajani told the media in Rome. He and Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni had summoned the Italian ambassador to Switzerland to Rome on Saturday morning in order to "obtain further information and discuss the next steps".
What happened on Friday in Valais "deeply outraged" him and Meloni, added Tajani. "This is not about safety precautions, but about objective facts." It was unacceptable to release a person who was objectively responsible for what had happened.
The deaths of so many people could not be offset by a bail of 200,000 francs, continued Tajani. The Foreign Minister called on the Swiss judiciary to speed up the criminal proceedings. "The feelings of the Italian people must not be hurt in this way," he concluded his statement.
Meeting with Cassis
Tajani also exchanged views with his Swiss counterpart Ignazio Cassis on Saturday. "Like Italy, Switzerland mourns the 40 victims and the many injured in the Crans-Montana tragedy. We understand the pain, because it is also our pain," Cassis wrote on the X platform. They want clarity and are closely following the work of the judiciary in the canton of Valais.
He and Tajani reaffirmed the willingness of Switzerland and Italy to support each other in this shared tragedy. Tajani also used similar words. The Italian Foreign Minister said in Rome that he had once again experienced the solidarity of the Swiss government during the long conversation. At the same time, he told Cassis how outraged the Italian people are.
Many victims from Italy
On Friday, the Valais compulsory measures court decided to release Jacques Moretti on bail of 200,000 francs. He and his wife own the bar "Le Constellation" in Crans-Montana, where 40 people died and 116 were injured in a devastating fire on New Year's Eve - many of them from Italy.
The bar owner had been in custody since January 9. It has not been confirmed whether Moretti is actually at large. An inquiry to the relevant authorities by the Keystone-SDA news agency remained unanswered for the time being.
