One of the proprietors of the Swiss ski bar, where a tragic fire claimed the lives of 40 New Year’s Eve partygoers, possesses a lengthy criminal record spanning over two decades, with a history of incarceration, as reported by European media.

Jacques Moretti, a French citizen in his sixties hailing from Corsica, is under investigation for the devastating fire at Le Constellation. The blaze, ignited by champagne bottles with sparklers, trapped patrons inside on New Year’s Day.

This is not Moretti’s first encounter with the law, according to the French newspaper Le Parisien. The publication highlights his extensive familiarity with the French justice system.

Le Parisien notes, “He has a history of involvement in pimping cases dating back approximately 20 years, as well as a kidnapping and confinement incident, which led to his imprisonment in Savoie.”

According to Belgian radio network RTL, his time behind bars was linked to charges of pimping, fraud, kidnapping, and false imprisonment, based on information from 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.