The owners of the Swiss nightclub which caught on fire on New Year’s Day have attended a hearing into the disaster as the victims’ parents push for the truth behind the blaze.
Jacques Moretti, 49, who owns Le Constellation in the ski resort of Crans-Montana alongside his wife Jessica Moretti, 40, was questioned by lawyers on Wednesday, seeking answers on how many partygoers were allowed inside.
The pair, who have blamed a waitress who died in the fire, are under judicial supervision following the inferno which killed 41 people and injured 115 others on January 1.
They made no comment as they arrived hand-in-hand for the hearing in the nearby city of Sion.
The French couple have firmly blamed their young staff for causing the inferno and blocking an escape exit, with leaked interview records point to them saying, ‘It’s not us, it’s the others’.
The Moretti’s defence strategy during some 20 hours of interrogation by three prosecutors was – in particular – to blame waitress Cyane Panine, 24, for getting onto the shoulders of a colleague while brandishing two champagne bottles with lit sparklers inside.
Cyane, who died in the fire, was wearing a promotional crash helmet, and did not see the pyrotechnics lighting up the bar’s basement ceiling, which was covered in highly flammable foam.
Referring to the champagne sparklers stunt – which was filmed – Mr Moretti told the enquiry that it was ‘Cyane’s show’.
The nightclub’s owners Jacques Moretti, 49, and Jessica Moretti, 40, attended a hearing into the disaster on Wednesday
Cyane Panine, 24, died in the fire at Le Constellation bar in Crans-Montana after she was filmed holding two champagne bottles fitted with sparklers as she sat on a colleague’s shoulders
She had previously told her parents she was made to work ‘relentlessly’ by the nightclub owners
‘I didn’t forbid her from doing that,’ he told prosecutors, adding: ‘I didn’t make her pay attention to safety instructions. We didn’t see the danger. Cyane liked doing that – it was a show, she liked to be part of the show.’
Mrs Moretti, an ex-pimp who has spent time in prison, is due to be questioned on Thursday.
She previously claimed: ‘Cyane liked to deliver these bottles – she did it of her own accord.
‘If I had thought there was the slightest risk, I would have forbidden it. In ten years of running the business, I never thought there could be any danger.’
The French couple are under criminal investigation, facing charges of manslaughter by negligence, bodily harm by negligence and arson by negligence.
They face up to 20 years in prison if charged and found guilty of manslaughter.
The family of Cyane, also a French national, are among those who have vehemently denied the Moretti’s claims, and they are supported by witnesses who survived the blaze.
They say it was Mrs Moretti, the manager on the night, who sent Cyane out with the bottles, and encouraged her to perform the stunt using a helmet provided by Dom Perignon, the champagne house.
But witnesses have cast doubt on their claims, with one claiming Cyane was made to wear a promotional crash helmet which prevented her from seeing sparklers.
Sophie Haenni, lawyer for Cyane’s bereaved family, also claimed that ‘Cyane wasn’t supposed to be serving at the tables’.
Ms Haenni said: ‘Jessica Moretti asked her to go down to the basement to help her colleagues, given the large number of champagne bottles ordered.
The Moretti’s defence strategy during some 20 hours of interrogation by three prosecutors was in particular to blame waitress Cyane Panine (pictured) for the fire
The French owners of Le Constellation Jacques and Jessica Moretti (both pictured) face charges of manslaughter, bodily harm and arson, all by negligence
‘Cyane simply followed the instructions given, did her job, and did so in front of the manager. She was never informed of the ceiling’s danger and received no safety training.’
The interviews on Wednesday and Thursday ‘are intended to allow the lawyers for the civil parties to ask the questions they were unable to ask’ during previous hearings.
‘I hope answers will be provided. We hope to better understand what happened and establish responsibilities,’ Nicolas Mattenberger, a lawyer representing victims’ families, said.
The bar owners have also faced backlash after claiming Cyane was like a ‘step-daughter’ and ‘sister’ to them.
But Ms Haenni said this was false, and Cyane had in fact contacted ‘the workers’ protection service’ over her employment conditions with the Morettis.
She was entitled to all of these documents under Swiss law, but the Morettis appeared reluctant to give her basic documents, including an employment contract, or to pay her a decent wage.
Cyane and the Morettis ‘addressed each other formally in messages,’ while Cyane complained of ‘orders’ given to her by Jessica Moretti.
Ms Haenni said: ‘In 2025, Cyane confided in her family about the significant difficulties she was experiencing with her employers.
‘She indicated that she had to work tirelessly. She was working endless days. Shortly before her death, Cyane told her family about her physical and emotional exhaustion.
‘She expressed her incomprehension at her employers’ lack of empathy and understanding.’
Jacques Moretti pictured arriving for the hearing before the public prosecutor on Wednesday
Photographs show the very first moments of the Swiss Le Constellation bar fire in Crans-Montana
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Ms Moretti, who was one of the first to escape the club, has admitted she knew the champagne sparkler stunt was being performed regularly, despite the huge danger.
She also offered a reserved apology for what happened on New Year’s Day, without admitting any criminal or civil liability.
Those killed were mostly teenagers, while most of the injured remain in various hospitals across Switzerland and Europe.
Most of those caught up in the inferno were Swiss, but a total of 19 nationalities were among those killed and wounded, including nine French and six Italian nationals.
Video cameras are said to have caught Ms Moretti getting away from the scene of the fire as quickly as possible, in her car, after quickly escaping with the till containing the night’s cash takings under her arm, while hundreds of young customers were trapped inside.
Leila Micheloud, the mother of two daughters injured in the fire, attended Wednesday’s hearing.
‘It’s a path to healing. We’re waiting for answers, the truth, for them to tell the truth; we’re not asking for anything more,’ she told journalists.
‘We’re in a battle. I have to be here.
‘When you have two of your children who almost died, you’re not afraid of anything,’ she added.
The Morettis’ lawyer Yael Hayat said the hearings would be the first time the couple would be able to speak directly to the lawyers representing the victims and families.
‘They are empathetic, but at the same time, they are isolated. It is also very difficult for them not to be able to express themselves directly, since the legal proceedings require that there be no contact,’ she said.
Fabrizio Ventimiglia, an Italian lawyer, said he was ‘expecting important answers’ not only on security at the bar but also on ‘the number of people present’ when the fire broke out, and regarding ‘the sale of alcohol to minors’.
The blaze started when sparklers being held up in champagne bottles set light to the soundproof foam owners had installed on the basement ceiling
Swiss federal councillor Martin Pfister and his daughter Fabiola stand in silence in front of the memorial for the victims of the deadly fire, February 1
The Wallis public prosecutor’s office said Monday that around 50 orders and warrants had been issued in the case, and more than a dozen hearings conducted so far.
The case file ‘comprises nearly 2,000 pages and includes more than 8,500 physical documents; 263 civil parties have been identified and are represented by 74 lawyers,’ it said.
In Crans-Montana, the makeshift memorial for victims of the blaze caught fire itself on Sunday, due to candles left burning inside.
A white, igloo-like tarpaulin had been erected over the candles, flowers and messages to shield them from the snow and winter weather.
Candles have now been banned from the memorial, while the book of condolence, saved from the fire, is now inside a nearby chapel.
The Swiss government decided on Wednesday that the victims and their families should receive a ‘solidarity contribution’ from the state, to help meet their costs.
