Crans-Montana bar owner Jacques Moretti detained over alleged domestic abuse
The owner of Le Constellation has been placed in pre-trial detention following an alleged incident of violence against his wife, a development that complicates the ongoing inquiry into the New Year’s fire that killed 41 people.
Jacques Moretti, the owner of the Swiss bar Le Constellation, has been placed in pre-trial detention following allegations of domestic violence against his wife, Jessica Moretti. According to local media reports, the incident occurred on the night of 11 August at the couple’s residence in the Wallis canton. The alleged violence was reportedly serious enough to require Jessica Moretti to be hospitalised.
The detention adds a new layer of scrutiny to a couple already at the centre of a high-profile criminal investigation. Jacques and Jessica Moretti are among 16 individuals currently facing criminal investigation regarding the fire that tore through their bar in the Crans-Montana ski resort in the early hours of 1 January. The blaze claimed the lives of 41 people, most of them teenagers, and injured 115 others.
In the primary fire case, the Morettis face charges including manslaughter by negligence and arson by negligence. Swiss officials have previously acknowledged a lapse in safety inspections at the venue, a finding that has intensified public and institutional interest in the governance of the establishment.
The couple’s legal representatives moved quickly to distinguish the two matters. In a statement released on Sunday evening, their lawyers asserted that the domestic abuse allegations are being investigated in a separate case pertaining exclusively to their private life. They urged that these reported events should not be confused with the "Constellation tragedy," while acknowledging that the incident falls within a context of intense personal ordeal that the couple has been facing since January.
The institutional separation of the cases is significant, as it suggests the prosecution is treating the private conduct of the accused as distinct from the professional negligence alleged in the fire. However, the timing of the detention, occurring months after the disaster, raises questions about the cumulative pressure on the key figures in the investigation.
Neither the public prosecutor’s office nor the couple’s lawyers responded immediately to requests for comment at the time of reporting. The specific nature and severity of the alleged violence remain detailed only by the fact that hospitalisation was required, leaving the precise legal status of the domestic abuse charges as an ongoing investigation rather than a formal indictment.
