Swiss bar owners 'destroyed evidence as fire ripped through venue', victims' lawyer claims

He noted that the bar’s Facebook and Instagram accounts, along with its website, were suspended as emergency services battled the fire and attempted to rescue victims.

The fire began at around 1.30 am, with the accounts blocked “between 3am and 6.30am”.

“It’s quite striking,” the lawyer noted, adding: “It’s curious that while the emergency operation was underway, someone was thinking about this.”

Mr Jordan said the suspended social media accounts had featured footage of the New Year’s Eve celebration as well as videos from earlier parties.

“They showed how the bar was, and (the suspension) shows that the question of security came to the managers’ minds straight away,” he said.

The lawyer has also called for prosecutors to broaden their inquiry to include the role of Crans-Montana council, which has acknowledged that it had not inspected the bar for safety compliance since 2019.

Nicolas Feraud, the council’s chairman, said inspections were supposed to take place every year. “We bitterly regret this,” he said.

Mr Jordan accused prosecutors of lacking resolve in examining what he described as serious failings in the council’s fire safety oversight.

“My clients want answers,” he told The Times.

“They want the chain of responsibility that led to this drama to be clearly established. The managers are being investigated but the council must be investigated too. No questions must be ignored,” the lawyer stressed.

The New Year’s Eve fire was triggered when soundproofing foam beneath the ceiling ignited after sparklers placed in empty bottles were raised into the air by staff, according to prosecutors.

Survivors have described how the flames spread through the crowded bar in a matter of minutes, trapping dozens of people, particularly in the basement area.

Ages of those who died ranged between 14 and 39, with roughly half under the age of 18.

The owners, Jacques Moretti, a 49-year-old French national from Corsica, and his wife Jessica, 40, who is from Cannes, are under formal investigation on suspicion of homicide through negligence.

Lawyers acting for the victims claim the bar failed to comply with fire safety regulations, alleging the presence of highly flammable materials and too few emergency exits.

The couple have rejected any suggestion of culpability. Mr Moretti told the Swiss newspaper 24 Heures: “Everything was done according to the rules.”

Other lawyers involved in the case have criticised the authorities for not keeping the Morettis in custody, warning that they could cross the border to France to avoid standing trial in Switzerland.

Mr Jordan said he was “surprised” that the couple were not required to lodge a financial guarantee with the court when they were released on bail.

GB News has approached the Morettis' lawyer for comment.

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