New indictment against owner of Le Constellation for alleged document forgery

Allegation of invoice manipulation

Moretti's lawyer rejected the new charge on Saturday. The invoice had "strictly no connection to the tragedy of Crans-Montana." The prosecution had previously announced that the new charge was document forgery; the defense denied this. An AFP report was disseminated by Deutschlandfunk on 06/06/2026.

In the fire at the bar Le Constellation in Crans-Montana, Switzerland, 41 people lost their lives on New Year's Eve, most of them young people. According to authorities, 115 people were injured. The bar was completely destroyed by the fire.

Background: The night of the fire in Crans-Montana

According to investigators, the fire was presumably triggered by pyrotechnic fountains attached to bottles that got too close to the ceiling of the establishment. However, the exact cause has not yet been definitively clarified. The responsible authorities are continuing to investigate the circumstances under which the catastrophe could have occurred.

The municipality of Crans-Montana had admitted that no fire safety inspections had taken place at the bar since 2019, even though they are prescribed annually. This information had caused sharp criticism in the weeks following the fire and raised questions about the responsibility of the municipal supervisory authorities.

Missing fire safety inspections and further investigations

In addition to the Morettis, several other allegedly responsible individuals are also the subject of investigations, according to investigators. The public prosecutor's office has not yet commented on who specifically the further investigations are directed against and what accusations are being made.

The investigations are ongoing. It remained unclear when an indictment or a possible court hearing could be expected. The defense announced that they would continue to resolutely reject the accusations and clarify the background of the invoice from 2015.

The tragedy of Crans-Montana has triggered a broad debate in Switzerland and internationally about the safety of event venues and the enforcement of fire safety regulations. Affected families and survivors continue to demand a full clarification of the circumstances of the fire.