Moments of great tension in Sion: the Moretti couple, escorted by the police, were attacked by the victims’ families amidst shouts and accusations. Jessica Moretti during the interrogation: «Evacuation drills have never been done because no one ever told us we had to do them»
The arrival of the Moretti spouses at the interrogation site on the Crans-Montana tragedy was greeted by cries of desperation from the victims’ families: “You killed our children.” Escorted by the police, alongside their lawyers and amidst jostling, the owners of the Constellation then managed to enter the engineering faculty of Sion where the hearings which today fall to Jessica Moretti are taking place. But the anger and indignation of those who lost their loved ones in the New Year’s Eve fire are not destined to fade: not only has Jacques Moretti been released from prison on bail, but yesterday he also placed the responsibility for what happened on the Municipality, rejecting the accusations.
«These people only have a heart for money»
Amidst the shoving and shouting, a mother, turning to the couple under investigation, asked: «Where is my son? How do you sleep? How do you eat? How do you breathe? Where is my son?”. Jacques, who yesterday was careful not to admit his guilt during the interrogation, replied: “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, we will take our responsibilities, we are here for justice.” The back and forth also continued regarding his release on bail: “You are the mafia, you paid 200,000 francs and it’s over!”. And the man replied: “No, there is no mafia, I am a worker.” After the moments of tension, Michel Pidoux, who lost his seventeen-year-old son in the fire, explained: “They say that Cyanne is to blame, that the DJ is to blame, that the Municipality is to blame, but it’s not their fault at all, just words and words, these people don’t have the heart, only the heart of money.” And he continued: «Jacques told us that he will take the blame, but he doesn’t take anything, just words» also because when he is questioned «he says that it is everyone’s fault except his and his wife».
The interrogation of Jessica Moretti
During the interrogation, Jessica Moretti, through tears, told the civil parties’ lawyers: «We committed ourselves to answering the family members’ questions, which is why today we passed in front of the families, since we knew there was a gathering. We knew the families wanted to meet us. We understand your anger, your hatred. I reiterate that we will be there to answer any questions, we will be there for you.” The woman’s lawyer, Nicolas Meyer, explained to the press that the two spouses “wanted to meet their family members, they always said so, but they didn’t expect the dispute”. Returning to the hearing, Jessica was asked why she immediately left the premises at the time of the fire. The suspect replied: «You can’t go against a fire. And my priority was to raise the alarm, evacuate people and call the firefighters as quickly as possible. I myself am the daughter of a firefighter and it is my reflection.” He then admitted that “evacuation drills were never done because no one ever told us we had to do them.” And on New Year’s Eve, his words do not coincide with the documents that the prosecutor’s office has in hand: for Jessica Moretti there were two bouncers present, but only one appears in the documentation.
The mayor reported
Meanwhile, the mayor of Crans-Montana, Nicolas Féraud, who refused to resign, has been denounced. The newspaper reported it The Temps: the document was filed by lawyers Alain Viscolo and Anne-Sophie Viscolo, who represent a 29-year-old man who was seriously injured in the fire and his parents. The list of accusations is long: negligent personal injury, negligent fire, endangering the lives of others with direct intent and various “violations of the responsibilities and duties imposed by law on Municipalities”. Among other things, referring to the press conference of January 6 in which the mayor had admitted that the Constellation had not been inspected for six years, the lawyers recalled that “no explanation was provided regarding the reasons” for the lack of checks.
