Former mayor questioned again in Crans-Montana fire investigation

Savoy’s third appearance brought prosecutors back to decisions made during the bar’s 2015 refurbishment. The former mayor of Chermignon answered questions at the Energypolis campus in Sion on October 20, 2026, as investigators examined work carried out at the Constellation and the operating licence he co-signed afterward.

The inquiry is scrutinising events from 2015 that authorities believe may have a bearing on the fire, which killed 41 people and injured 115. Savoy led Chermignon from 2009 to 2016. The municipality later became part of Crans-Montana, and the investigation also reaches current and former officials from both municipal administrations.

Savoy’s first appearance, on May 13, unfolded without his answers. He and his lawyer had not yet been given access to the case file. After that hearing, he acknowledged what he called “political responsibility” in the case. He cooperated at a second hearing on July 16. Around 30 lawyers attended his latest appearance, as prosecutors revisited the refurbishment and licensing decisions.

The investigation is examining the link between renovation work and the bar’s operating licence. Prosecutors revisited work commissioned by Constellation owners Jacques and Jessica Moretti in 2015, including refurbishment and soundproofing. Savoy co-signed the licence that followed those works while he was mayor of Chermignon.

The hearing places municipal oversight among the issues under scrutiny. Prosecutors are investigating whether decisions connected to the building work and its authorisation bear on the tragedy. The source account identifies the licence and the work as central subjects of Savoy’s questioning, but does not establish a finding of fault. The proceedings remain an investigation, with the accused facing charges of manslaughter through negligence, causing bodily harm through negligence and arson through negligence.

Savoy’s role is one part of a wider examination of local authority decisions. Eight former or current elected representatives from Crans-Montana or Chermignon are among those accused, alongside seven current or former municipal employees. The case therefore covers both elected leadership and municipal staff involved in the two administrations.

The case currently names 17 accused, spanning municipal officials, employees and the bar’s owners. The group includes eight former or current elected representatives from Crans-Montana or the former municipality of Chermignon, seven current or former employees of the two municipalities, and Jacques and Jessica Moretti.

All those accused face charges of manslaughter through negligence, causing bodily harm through negligence and arson through negligence. These are allegations being examined in the criminal investigation, not findings of guilt. Jessica Moretti has also faced a forgery charge since her last hearing in early June.

The owners have further appearances scheduled before prosecutors on November 2 and December 2. Jacques Moretti has been in pre-trial detention since mid-August, suspected of violence against his wife. His detention and the separate forgery charge against Jessica sit alongside the negligence charges tied to the fire investigation. Together, the hearings will continue to examine the owners’ part in the refurbishment and the wider chain of decisions surrounding the bar.

The next scheduled hearings will keep the owners before prosecutors as the investigation continues. Jacques and Jessica Moretti are due to appear on November 2 and December 2. Those dates follow Savoy’s third hearing on October 20 and his earlier appearances on May 13 and July 16.

The proceedings carry a direct local dimension for Crans-Montana and the Valais communities involved. The accused include people who served in elected office or municipal jobs in Crans-Montana and Chermignon, alongside the owners of the Constellation. The investigation is testing decisions around the bar’s 2015 renovation and licence against the consequences of a fire that killed 41 people and injured 115.

A memorial service marking the tragedy’s first anniversary is planned in Grône on January 1. The hearings and the commemoration are distinct events, but both keep the fire’s impact in view for families and the region. Prosecutors’ next appointments will extend a case that has drawn dozens of lawyers and reached across local government, business ownership and public safety responsibilities.