International🌐 Available in EnglishAugust 23, 2026

Crans-Montana bar owner detained over alleged domestic abuse

Crans-Montana bar owner detained over alleged domestic abuse
France 24
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France 24
Original Source

The owner of a Swiss bar devastated by a deadly New Year fire has been detained on domestic abuse charges against his wife and business partner. The arrest comes as the couple faces criminal investigation over the fire that killed 41 people, mostly teenagers, at their Crans-Montana ski resort establishment.

The owner of the Swiss bar ravaged by a deadly New Year fire is in pre-trial detention, accused of domestic abuse against his wife and co-owner of the establishment, media reported Sunday.

French couple Jacques and Jessica Moretti have been the focus of intense scrutiny since the fire ripped though their bar Le Constellation, in the Crans-Montana ski resort in the early hours of January 1.

The blaze killed 41 people, most of them teenagers, injuring 115 other people.

The Morettis are among 16 people facing criminal investigation in the case. They face charges including manslaughter by negligence and arson by negligence over the fire.

Jacques Moretti has now been arrested and detained following alleged violence against his wife earlier this month, local Geneva broadcaster Leman Bleu reported.

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The incident reportedly happened on the night of August 11 at the couple's home in Switzerland's southwestern Wallis canton, and was so serious that Jessica Moretti had to be hospitalised.

Neither the public prosecutor's office nor the couple's lawyers responded immediately to requests for comment.

However, the Moretti's lawyers released a statement Sunday evening referring to the report, stressing that the alleged events were being investigated in a separate case pertaining "exclusively to their private life".

Read moreSwiss officials admit safety inspections lapse at bar where 40 died in NYE fire

"They should not be confused with the Constellation tragedy," the lawyers said in the statement.

They added though that the reported events "nevertheless fall within a context that cannot be ignored: that of a particularly intense ordeal that the Morettis have been trying to face together since January 1".

(FRANCE 24 with AFP)

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Tags:#سويسرا#حريق#عنف أسري#كرانس-مونتانا#تحقيقات جنائية#حادثة رأس السنة
Source: France 24

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