Italy has formally protested the release on bail of the owner of a Swiss bar destroyed in a deadly New Year’s Day fire and has recalled its ambassador to Switzerland.
The move follows the decision by a Swiss court to release Jacques Moretti, co-owner of the Le Constellation bar in Crans-Montana, who is under investigation for negligent homicide and other offences linked to the blaze.
The fire killed 40 people and injured more than 100, many of them teenagers. Six of those who died were Italian, along with 10 of the injured.
Moretti was detained on 9 January but was released on bail on Friday, prompting strong criticism in both Italy and Switzerland. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni described the decision as “an affront to the memory of the victims and an insult to their families”.
In a government statement issued on Saturday, Meloni and Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said they had instructed Italy’s ambassador to contact Beatrice Pilloud, chief prosecutor of Switzerland’s Valais canton, to express Italy’s “strong indignation”.
The statement said the court’s decision had been taken despite the seriousness of the alleged crimes, the risk of flight and the possibility of evidence being compromised.
“The whole of Italy is clamouring for truth and justice, and is calling for respectful measures to be taken in the wake of this disaster, which take full account of the suffering and expectations of the families,” it added.
