Former mayor questioned again in Crans-Montana fire investigation

Prosecutors have brought former Chermignon mayor Jean-Claude Savoy back for questioning as they examine decisions surrounding the Constellation bar before the fire that killed 41 people. Savoy appeared at the Energypolis campus in Sion on October 20 for his third hearing in the investigation. The inquiry is focused in part on work carried out at the Crans-Montana bar in 2015 and the operating licence issued after refurbishment and soundproofing. Savoy co-signed that licence while serving as mayor of Chermignon, a municipality that later became part of Crans-Montana.

The investigation reaches across local government and the bar’s ownership. Seventeen people are currently accused, including elected representatives and municipal employees, as well as Jessica and Jacques Moretti, who owned the Constellation. Prosecutors are examining whether negligence contributed to the fire, which also injured 115 people. Savoy first appeared on May 13, when he declined to answer questions because he and his lawyer had not been allowed prior access to the case file. At the time, he acknowledged “political responsibility”. He cooperated at a second hearing on July 16. His third appearance brings prosecutors back to the decisions made around the 2015 works and licence.

The 2015 renovation and the licence that followed sit at the centre of the questions put to Savoy. Prosecutors revisited the circumstances around work commissioned by the owners of the Constellation, including refurbishment and soundproofing. Savoy, mayor of Chermignon from 2009 to 2016, co-signed the bar’s operating licence after those works. His role is now being examined alongside that of other former and current local officials.

Savoy’s first hearing took place on May 13. He chose not to answer questions because he and his lawyer had not received access to the case file beforehand. After that appearance, he accepted that he bore “political responsibility” in the case. At his second hearing, on July 16, he cooperated with prosecutors. The October questioning was his third appearance, with around 30 lawyers present.

The inquiry concerns events from more than a decade ago, but the work and licence are being scrutinised because they preceded the fire. Prosecutors have charged those accused with manslaughter through negligence, causing bodily harm through negligence and arson through negligence. The charges describe the allegations under investigation; they are not findings of guilt.

The investigation now names 17 accused across local government and the Constellation’s ownership. Eight are current or former elected representatives from Crans-Montana or the former municipality of Chermignon. Seven are current or former employees of the two municipalities. The remaining two are Jessica and Jacques Moretti, the bar’s owners.

All those accused face charges of manslaughter through negligence, causing bodily harm through negligence and arson through negligence. Jessica Moretti has also faced a forgery charge since her last hearing in early June. Jacques Moretti has been in pre-trial detention since mid-August, suspected of violence against his wife. These matters form part of the wider proceedings and do not establish guilt.

The scale of the investigation was visible at Savoy’s latest hearing, where around 30 lawyers were present. His questioning follows appearances in May and July, while prosecutors continue to examine the municipal decisions and the work at the bar. The case involves officials and employees from both Crans-Montana and Chermignon, reflecting the administrative roles connected to the period under scrutiny. The fire killed 41 people and left 115 injured, a toll that has shaped the proceedings and the community’s response.

The next scheduled hearings for Jessica and Jacques Moretti are set for November 2 and December 2. Prosecutors will continue questioning the bar’s owners as the investigation examines the 2015 refurbishment, the operating licence and the events connected to the fire. The hearings follow Savoy’s third appearance on October 20 and keep the inquiry moving through the roles of the people accused.

The case carries a continuing presence in Valais. The fire killed 41 people and injured 115, and a memorial service marking its first anniversary is planned in Grône on January 1. The proceedings include officials and employees linked to Crans-Montana and the former municipality of Chermignon, alongside the Constellation’s owners. Every accused person faces charges of manslaughter through negligence, causing bodily harm through negligence and arson through negligence; Jessica Moretti also faces a forgery charge.

For now, the investigation is focused on establishing what happened around the work and licensing decisions made in 2015. The scheduled hearings will bring the owners before prosecutors again, while the anniversary memorial will gather the community in Grône. Both dates place the case back before the public as legal proceedings continue.