Italy lodged a formal protest on Saturday over the release on bail of the owner of a Swiss bar destroyed by a deadly New Year’s Day fire and recalled its ambassador to Switzerland, as the court decision drew criticism in both countries.
Jacques Moretti and his wife, Jessica, who own the Le Constellation bar in Crans-Montana, are being investigated for negligent homicide and other offences linked to the blaze, which killed 40 people and injured more than 100, many of them teenagers.
Moretti was arrested on 9 January but was released on bail on Friday.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni described the decision as “an affront to the memory of the victims and an insult to their families”. Six of those killed were Italian nationals, as were 10 of the injured.
In a statement, the Italian government said Meloni and Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani had instructed Italy’s ambassador to contact Beatrice Pilloud, chief prosecutor in Switzerland’s Valais canton, to express Italy’s “strong indignation” at Moretti’s release.
The statement said the court had ordered his release despite the seriousness of the alleged offences, the risk of flight and concerns that evidence could be tampered with.
“Italy as a whole is demanding truth and justice and calling for measures that fully respect the suffering and expectations of the families affected by this tragedy,” the statement said.
Meloni and Tajani also ordered Ambassador Gian Lorenzo Cornado to return to Rome to consider possible further steps.
Pilloud confirmed to Swiss news agency Keystone SDA that she had been contacted by the Italian ambassador, but said the release had been ordered by a separate court.
“I do not wish to be responsible for a diplomatic incident between our two countries,” she said, adding that she would not bow to pressure and had advised the ambassador to raise the matter with Swiss political authorities.
A spokesperson for Switzerland’s foreign ministry was not immediately available to comment.
Moretti was released under bail conditions that included a payment of 200,000 Swiss francs and a requirement to report daily to a police station.
Lawyers representing victims and their families said they were struggling to understand the ruling and expressed concern that evidence could disappear.
“This is another blow to a wound that will never heal,” Andrea Costanzo, whose 16-year-old daughter Chiara died in the fire, was quoted as saying by Italian newspapers.
The Morettis have expressed their sorrow over the tragedy and said they will cooperate fully with investigators. Their lawyers said they would continue to comply with all requests from the authorities.
U.S. President Donald Trump has extended his timeline on striking against Iran's energy sites, as Tehran says diplomacy is on...
The United Arab Emirates has told the U.S. and other Western allies that it is willing to participate in a multinational maritime taskforce aimed a...
U.S. paper currency will bear President Donald Trump's signature starting this summer, the first time a s...
Mexico's navy said it had activated a search-and-rescue operation in the Caribbean to locate two sailboats carrying humanitarian aid to Cuba af...
A powerful tropical cyclone in Western Australia has disrupted production at the country’s two biggest li...
U.S. President Donald Trump has extended his timeline on striking against Iran's energy sites, as Tehran says diplomacy is ongoing - latest on Middle East conflict.
The United Arab Emirates has told the U.S. and other Western allies that it is willing to participate in a multinational maritime taskforce aimed at reopening the Strait of Hormuz, the Financial Times reported on Friday, citing people familiar with the matter.
U.S. paper currency will bear President Donald Trump's signature starting this summer, the first time a sitting president has signed American money, the Treasury Department said on Thursday. The change comes as the United States prepares to celebrate its 250th anniversary.
Mexico's navy said it had activated a search-and-rescue operation in the Caribbean to locate two sailboats carrying humanitarian aid to Cuba after the vessels failed to arrive in Havana.
Israel said it had killed Alireza Tangsiri, the Commander of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC)’s Navy, on Thursday, as confict in the Middle East continued.
A drone has flown into Estonian airspace from Russia. It happened early on Wednesday morning and slammed into a chimney at a local power station, the Baltic country's Internal Security Service told public broadcaster ERR.
Iran has rejected a U.S. proposal to end the war, insisting any ceasefire will occur only on its own terms and timeline, according to a senior political-security official speaking to state-run Press TV on Wednesday.
Marine Le Pen, leader of France’s far-right National Rally (RN), said on Wednesday that the U.S. had “clearly made a mistake” in launching strikes on Iran, arguing Washington misjudged the resilience of the Iranian regime.
NASA announced on Tuesday it has cancelled plans to deploy a space station in lunar orbit and will instead use components from the project to build a $20 billion base on the moon's surface, while also planning to send a nuclear-powered spacecraft to Mars.
U.S. paper currency will bear President Donald Trump's signature starting this summer, the first time a sitting president has signed American money, the Treasury Department said on Thursday. The change comes as the United States prepares to celebrate its 250th anniversary.
Mexico's navy said it had activated a search-and-rescue operation in the Caribbean to locate two sailboats carrying humanitarian aid to Cuba after the vessels failed to arrive in Havana.
A powerful tropical cyclone in Western Australia has disrupted production at the country’s two biggest liquefied natural gas plants run by Chevron and Woodside, exacerbating a global supply crunch caused by the conflict in the Middle East.
France has rejected claims that South Africa was dropped from the guest list for this year’s G7 summit under pressure from United States, insisting the decision to invite Kenya was its own.
A U.S. federal judge raised concerns on Thursday about whether sanctions preventing Venezuela from funding the legal defense of Nicolás Maduro could violate his constitutional rights, though he did not dismiss the drug-trafficking charges against the former leader.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment