ROME: Italy formally protested on Saturday the release on bail of the owner of a Swiss bar engulfed in a deadly New Year’s Day fire and recalled its ambassador to Switzerland, as the court’s decision came under criticism in both countries.

Jacques Moretti and his wife Jessica, owners of Le Constellation bar in Crans-Montana, are under investigation for negligent homicide and other crimes linked to the blaze that killed 40 people and injured more than 100, many of them teenagers.

Jacques Moretti was detained on January 9 but released on bail on Friday.

PM ‌MELONI CALLS DECISION ‘AN ‌INSULT’ TO VICTIMS’ FAMILIES

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni overnight ‌called Moretti’s ⁠release “an affront ‌to the memory of the victims ... and an insult to their families.”