Moretti Forgery Charge Deepens Crans-Montana Probe as Couple Faces First Joint Hearing

Swiss prosecutors have accused Jessica Moretti, co-owner of the Le Constellation nightclub in Crans-Montana, of forging an invoice for soundproofing foam, a development that significantly widens the criminal investigation into the New Year’s Eve blaze that claimed 41 lives. The allegation surfaced on Friday as Jessica and her husband Jacques Moretti appeared in Sion for their first joint interrogation under the “confrontation procedure,” a format that saw them answer questions together before the cantonal prosecutor and some 70 lawyers representing civil parties.

Opening the session with an unsolicited declaration, Jessica Moretti told the court: “We have been destroyed by falsehoods. I want to cooperate, I have always answered questions.” Her husband, Jacques, said he had been “so unwell I couldn’t even speak” after the disaster. Outside the hearing, the mood was calmer than during a February encounter that nearly turned physical, yet the grief of victims’ families was undimmed. One mother confronted Jessica directly: “You can hug your children.”

The new forgery charge centres on an invoice for the flammable ceiling foam that investigators believe fed the inferno. The Morettis have long claimed the material was bought at a local hardware store, but Swiss media report prosecutors now suspect Jessica falsified that receipt. Meanwhile, a detailed list of seven persistent inconsistencies in the couple’s accounts — from the foam’s provenance to escape routes and hidden assets in France — underscores the complexity of a case that has drawn scrutiny from across Europe.

The tragedy has resonated powerfully in Italy and France, which lost many young citizens. The Italian government dispatched a lawyer to monitor the proceedings, while a grieving father, Antonis Kallergis, has become the first to appeal to the Swiss Federal Supreme Court, a move that could reshape the investigation. With charges of negligent homicide and grievous bodily harm already filed, the addition of document forgery and the sheer volume of civil claims ensure the legal road ahead will be long and closely watched.