(Adnkronos) – There has been “no diplomatic incident” between Italy and Switzerland over the release on bail of Jacques Moretti, owner of a bar in the Crans Montana ski resort, where a fire killed 40 people and injured over 100, foreign minister Antonio Tajani said on Thursday.
“We simply demand that justice be done,” Tajani told reporters as he went into a European Union foreign affairs ministerial meeting in Brussels.
Six Italian teenagers aged 15-16 were among those killed by the fire at Le Constellation bar early on New Year’s Day.
Italy recalled its ambassador to Switzerland for consultations after a court in the Valais Canton on Friday ordered Moretti and his wife Jessica’s release on bail set at 200,000 francs ($252,000), which was paid by an unnamed “friend” of Moretti’s.
The bail terms include the obligation to stay in Switzerland, the handing over of identity documents to prosectors and reporting to police daily.
“There have been actions that have truly perplexed all Italians: not the government, but all Italians, because what happened is unbelievable,” said Tajani.
Tajani referred to the danger that Moretti and his wife could flee the country, possible contamination of evidence and the risk of re-offending.
Moretti and his wife are being probed for suspected negligent homicide, negligent bodily harm and causing a fire by negligence at Le Constellation bar in upscale Crans Montana.
Investigators believe that sparkling candles ignited the fire when they came too close to a ceiling which was outfitted with soundproofing material. Witnesses have also testified that one of the bar’s two emergency exits was locked.
‘We respect all decisions, but we can also criticise certain decisions that do not concern Switzerland and the Swiss government,” said Tajani.
“These (decisions) concern a canton that, despite a tragedy such as that of New Year’s Eve, delayed the investigation and bailed two people for a derisory sum who bear undeniable responsibility,” Tajani said.
The Valais Public Prosecutor’s Office has added the municipality of Crans-Montana’s public security chief to the register of suspects in the New Year’s blaze at Le Constellation bar, Swiss public broadcaster RTS reported on Thursday.
Local authorities have said that fire safety inspections of the bar hadn’t been carried out since 2019.
