Crans-Montana fire: one of the restaurants of the Moretti couple, owner of the bar Le Constellation, declared bankrupt

One of the restaurants owned by Jacques and Jessica Moretti, the French couple who own the Le Constellation bar in Crans-Montana in Switzerland where 41 people died in a fire on New Year's Eve, has been declared bankrupt by the courts.

The company Le Vieux Chalet “was declared bankrupt (…) by decision of November 3, 2026” of the Court of Sierre, declared, Monday, November 9, the Official Bulletin of the canton of Valais, information revealed by Rhône FM. The reasons for the bankruptcy are not specified.

The Constellation fire mainly struck teenagers and young adults, many of them foreigners, particularly Italians and French. The investigations revolve around the question of the responsibility of the municipal authorities and the Moretti.

Investigators are examining the work carried out by Jacques Moretti in the basement of the bar in 2015, the operating authorizations and security, in particular emergency exits, some of which were allegedly locked on the evening of the tragedy, and the acoustic foam in the ceiling which quickly caught fire on contact with sparkling candles. Just after the tragedy, municipal officials admitted that no safety checks or inspections related to fire risks had been carried out in the bar since 2019.

The indictments have followed one another throughout the criminal investigation, which now targets 17 people. All are being prosecuted for “negligent homicide, negligent bodily harm and negligent arson”. In 2015, the Moretti couple settled in the wealthy resort in the Swiss Alps, before subsequently purchasing Le Constellation, the café-restaurant Le Senso, also in Crans-Montana, and the inn Le Vieux Chalet, in Lens (Switzerland).