New legal troubles for Jacques Moretti, one of the owners of Le Constellation, the Crans-Montana venue devastated by the New Year’s Eve fire in which 41 people died. The man was arrested on charges of violence against his wife Jessica Moretti, co-owner of the disco bar.
The accusations of violence against his wife and the arrest: what happened
As reported by the Swiss television broadcaster Rts the disputed episode dates back to the night between 11 and 12 August. Jessica Moretti would later be hospitalized.
Jacques Moretti had already ended up in prison in January as part of the investigation into the fire at the club. On January 9, the Valais Public Ministry had requested his preventive detention, considering the risk of escape to be real. He was then released on January 23, after the payment of a bail of 200 thousand Swiss francs, with the application of alternative measures.
As late as 8 August, the Valais Coercive Measures Court had extended until 9 October both Jacques and Jessica Moretti the ban on leaving Switzerland and the obligation to report daily to a police station. The two had asked to be able to replace the in-person control with a daily video call.
The lawyers: “These are private matters”
“The latest information released by some media, as well as the requests we are the subject of, lead us to return to the events that recently occurred at the home of the Moretti spouses. These events, the subject of a separate proceeding, concern exclusively their private life, which is why we will not provide any comments.” This was declared by Yaël Hayat, Nicola Meier and Patrick Michod, lawyers of the spouses Jacques and Jessica Moretti, in relation to the news of the man’s arrest for violence against his wife.
The facts “cannot be confused with the Constellation tragedy – the lawyers continue – but they nevertheless fit into a context that cannot be ignored, that of a particularly intense ordeal that the Moretti couple tried to face together starting from January 1st. Private life must now regain its rights”
The investigation into the Constellation: there are now 16 suspects
Meanwhile, the investigation into the massacre which occurred on the night between 31 December 2025 and 1 January 2026 continues to expand. The Constellation fire caused 41 deaths and 115 injuries, as certified by the Swiss federal authorities.
On August 18, the Valais Public Ministry confirmed the registration of a new suspect: a former municipal councilor responsible for safety between 2017 and 2020, who had previously also managed the Crans-Montana fire rescue centre. With this latest entry, the number of people involved in the investigation has risen to 16: Jacques and Jessica Moretti and 14 other people. Among those under investigation are current or former local administrators and current or former municipal employees.
According to the prosecutor’s office, in the main investigation, negligent homicide, negligent personal injury and negligent fire are contested. Jessica Moretti must also answer for forgery of documents, a charge that emerged during the hearing on 5 June.
The two owners of the restaurant should return before the prosecutors for two further hearings already scheduled for 26 October and 2 December. It now remains to be understood what consequences the new proceedings against Jacques Moretti may have on the precautionary measures already ordered in the investigation into the massacre.