Former Fire Safety Officer Refuses To Answer Questions Over Crans‐Montana Fire

Appearing before prosecutors leading the investigation, the former employee of Chermignon – now part of Crans‐Montana, but until 2017 the municipality responsible for Le Constellation – chose to remain silent. As a result, the questioning ended after just 15 minutes.

Wednesday's session marked the third round of hearings, out of five scheduled over the course of the week. The Valais public prosecutor's office began this latest round of questioning a day later than planned.

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Jacques Moretti, the manager of the Le Constellation bar, who had been due to appear on Tuesday, was excused from attending after his lawyer submitted two medical certificates that were accepted by investigators.

Commenting on the former municipal safety officer's decision to remain silent, Robert Assaël, a lawyer for the civil parties, told the AFP news agency that the defendant had refused to cooperate after being informed of the charges.“I am shocked that he chose not to answer questions,” he said, adding that the victims“are waiting for just one thing: the truth”.

His lawyer, Fabien Mingard, told the Keystone‐SDA news agency that his client“had exercised his right not to answer questions because he had not yet been given access to the case files”.

This content was published on Feb 9, 2026 A former municipal safety inspection officer of Crans-Montana was questioned by Valais prosecutors on Monday in connection with a fatal bar fire on New Year's Eve.