"Insult to the victims" Moretti's release infuriates Italy - federal government tries to appease

Bar owner Moretti is released under strict conditions following the fatal fire in Crans-Montana. Italy's government speaks of a "serious affront" and withdraws its ambassador.

Following the fire disaster in Crans-Montana VS, the owner of the bar "Le Constellation", Jacques Moretti, has been released from custody. The compulsory measures court announced on Friday that he had been released on bail. Reactions in Italy have been harsh - causing anger and fierce criticism.

Six of the 40 people killed in the fire are Italian nationals. Eleven other Italians were injured. The shock in Italy is great.

Italy's government has harshly criticized the decision to release the owner of the bar from custody. The decision by a Swiss court to release Jacques Moretti on conditional release is a "serious affront" and "further pain" for the families of the victims and the injured, it said. They were deeply outraged by the incident.

Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni spoke out personally: "I am outraged by the news of the release of Jacques Moretti, the owner of Le Constellation in Crans-Montana," she wrote on X, adding: "I consider this to be an insult to the victims of the New Year's Eve tragedy and an insult to their families who are suffering from the loss of their loved ones. The Italian government will hold the Swiss authorities to account."

The whole of Italy is crying out for truth and justice, emphasized the head of government. The court's decision represents "a serious offense", Meloni continued. It is "another wound for the families of the victims of the Crans-Montana tragedy".

Following the court ruling, Prime Minister Meloni and Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani summoned the Italian ambassador to Switzerland, Gian Lorenzo Cornado, back to Rome to "determine the next steps to be taken", according to the government.

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.

Antonio Tajani also wrote on X: "I am speechless in the face of the release of Jacques Moretti in Switzerland. This decision is a real affront to the families who lost their children in Crans-Montana and ignores the grief and deep pain that these families share with the Italian people."

"We will increase our support and solidarity with the parents of the victims of this incredible tragedy," said Tajani. Finally, he emphasized that "we will continue to work together to ensure that the Swiss authorities clarify the truth and who is responsible for what happened."

The deaths of so many people cannot be compensated for with a bail of 200,000 francs, Tajani continued. 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.

In the meantime, Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis has spoken to his Italian counterpart Antonio Tajani about the fire disaster in Crans-Montana. They reaffirmed Switzerland's and Italy's willingness to support each other in this shared tragedy, said Cassis.

"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," said Cassis on Platform X in response to the strong reaction from Italy. They want clarity and are following the work of the judiciary in the canton of Valais closely.

Tajani also used similar words. The Italian Foreign Minister said in Rome that he had once again experienced the solidarity of the Swiss government in a long conversation. At the same time, he told Cassis how outraged the Italian people are.

The Attorney General of Valais, Beatrice Pilloud, confirmed that she had been contacted by the Italian ambassador to Switzerland on Saturday morning. She informed him that the decision to release the owner of the bar in Crans-Montana had not been ordered by the public prosecutor's office.

Pilloud was responding to a request from the Italian government. According to a statement issued on Saturday, the Italian government had instructed Gian Lorenzo Cornado, the Italian ambassador to Switzerland, to contact Pilloud "immediately" and convey to her the Italian government's "deep indignation" at the decision of the compulsory measures court the previous day.

She had explained to the ambassador that the compulsory measures court had ruled on Friday, Pilloud wrote in response to a request from the Keystone-SDA news agency. At the same time, she advised him to contact the court or the federal authorities for further information.

"I do not want to be responsible for a diplomatic incident between our two countries," the Attorney General continued. She emphasizes that she will not give in to any possible pressure from the Italian authorities and has therefore advised the Italian ambassador to address his concerns about the decision to the national authorities.

While there were calls in Italy at the weekend for the Italian ski racers to boycott the Alpine World Cup races in Crans-Montana next week in protest, Switzerland is trying to appease - and explain in Italy.

A basic principle of Swiss criminal law is that the accused should remain at large, said the Swiss ambassador in Rome, Roberto Balzaretti, in an interview with the newspaper "La Stampa" on Sunday. It was not the police or the public prosecutor's office that decided on detention, but the judges. "It is a principle of our democracy and the rule of law that protects us all, and I would not change it," explained Balzaretti. However, the ambassador also admits that there were gaps in the investigations.

President Guy Parmelin spoke in an interview with Swiss Radio and Television (SRF) on Saturday on the fringes of the SVP Switzerland delegates' meeting in Näfels GL. He showed understanding for the Italian view, but also said: "I believe that Italy is looking at the Swiss approach through the lens of Italian law." The separation of powers must be respected.

Jacques Moretti was released from pre-trial detention on Friday. The compulsory measures court set bail at CHF 200,000. This amount was requested by the public prosecutor's office and the court judged it to be appropriate and dissuasive. The sum was transferred to the account of the public prosecutor's office on the same day, it added.

Instead of pre-trial detention, the compulsory measures court ordered alternative measures to counteract the risk of the accused absconding. These measures include a ban on leaving Swiss territory, the obligation to deposit all identity and residence documents with the public prosecutor's office, the obligation to report to a police station every day and the obligation to provide the specified security.

Various parties have accused the public prosecutor's office of serious errors in the investigations into the Crans-Montana case to date - and have been doing so practically since the first day after the disaster. For example, a search and seizure warrant was issued for Jacques Moretti's private and business premises immediately after the accident, but not for his wife Jessica. However, the same warrant for his wife Jessica, who was co-owner of the bar, was not issued until January 5. The Moretti's premises were not searched until January 7, almost a week after the devastating accident.

New details revealedThis is how dubious the investigation into the tragedy in Crans-Montana really is

In addition, the investigators only confiscated the Morettis' cell phones on January 9. The devices would have contained important information. "In his first interrogation on January 1, Moretti - still as a person providing information - had looked on his phone to see who had been working in the bar on New Year's Eve," reports theNZZ.

"Poison for acceptance"Criticism of the Valais fire investigation is now growing