One of the owners of the Swiss ski bar where 40 New Year’s Eve revelers were killed in a horrifying fire had an extensive criminal history dating back more than 20 years and even served time in prison, according to European media reports.
Jacques Moretti, a French national in his sixties originally from the island of Corsica, is facing an inquiry in the deadly New Year’s Day blaze at Le Constellation, in which patrons were trapped inside after champagne bottles adorned with sparklers set a ceiling on fire.
But it’s far from the first time Moretti has faced criminal charges, according to French newspaper Le Parisien, which reported he’s “no stranger” to the justice system in France.
“He is known for pimping cases dating back some twenty years, as well as for a kidnapping and confinement case. He was imprisoned in Savoie,” Le Parisien wrote.
Belgian radio network RTL said his prison stint involved “cases of pimping, fraud, kidnapping and false imprisonment,” citing a legal source.
Moretti and his wife, Jessica, have co-owned the swanky nightclub in Crans-Montana since 2015. They have not been criminally charged as of Sunday and are not incarcerated as they answer authorities’ questions about the deadly inferno in which 40 people were killed and more than 100 were injured.
He was not in the nightclub at the time of the fire, but Jessica suffered burns to her arms.
Swiss prosecutors have said they plan to open an enquiry into “arson by negligence” and “manslaughter by negligence” against the couple if they find the couple criminally liable.
“Everything suggests that the fire started with incandescent candles placed in champagne bottles, which were brought too close to the ceiling, causing a rapid and widespread conflagration,” said Swiss attorney general Beatrice Pilloud.
Moretti has stuck to his assertion that the club — which was only inspected three times in 10 years — “followed all safety regulations” as required by Swiss law.
