A court in the canton of Valais has ordered the release of Jacques Moretti, co-owner with his wife of the bar in the ski resort of Crans-Montana, where 40 people, mostly young people, died on New Year’s Eve.

After the payment of a bail of 200,000 Swiss francs (about 215,000 euros), the competent court in the canton of Valais announced that it had “lifted the provisional detention” of Moretti, though it did not specify whether the prisoner had already been released.

Like his wife Jessica, who was not taken into custody, the court imposed a restraining order to prevent the defendant from running away.

These were “classic measures”, as the court explained, such as a ban on leaving Switzerland, an obligation to deposit all his personal documents with the Ministry of Public Order, an obligation to present himself daily at a police station, and the payment of a bail of 200,000 Swiss francs.

Moretti, charged in the investigation following the tragedy that left 40 dead and 116 injured, had been in custody since January 9.

Recalling the “presumption of innocence for every accused” until an eventual conviction, the court stressed that the “basic principle in Swiss criminal procedure is that the accused remains free until his trial.”

The fire at the Le Constellation bar, with victims mostly teenagers and young people, was caused, according to the investigation, by sparks from indoor fireworks, which resulted in the ignition of the soundproofing foam covering the basement ceiling.

The investigation will reveal the exact circumstances of the fire, the owners’ compliance with regulations, and the responsibilities they bear, just as the Crans-Montana community acknowledged that it has failed to conduct safety and fire safety inspections of the building since 2019.

As owners of the store, Zach and Jessica Moretti are the target of a criminal investigation for negligent homicide, negligent infliction of bodily injury, and negligent fire.