Swiss nightclub owner allegedly fled with cash, destroyed evidence during deadly inferno

The manager of the Swiss resort bar where 40 people died in a New Year’s Eve fire allegedly fled with the night’s cash as patrons desperately tried to escape — with both owners now accused of destroying evidence in the aftermath.

Jessica Moretti, 40, is accused of abandoning terrified partygoers as flames engulfed Le Constellation and was seen by multiple witnesses carrying the cash register, Italy’s La Repubblica reported.

Moretti and her husband, Jacques Moretti — both French nationals who have co-owned the swanky Crans-Montana nightclub since 2015 — are under investigation for manslaughter and causing bodily harm to 119 others who suffered horrific burns while celebrating in the Swiss Alps.

After the fire, Jessica Moretti said she sustained “slight burns on one arm” as she escaped while the flames tore through her nightclub, according to La Repubblica.

As investigators reviewed cellphone footage, security camera video from inside the bar and footage from streetlight-mounted cameras outside to reconstruct what happened, the couple is now accused of destroying evidence by blocking social media accounts after the fire.

Romain Jordan, a lawyer representing some of the 116 injured — many of them teenagers left with catastrophic burns — said Le Constellation suspended its Facebook and Instagram accounts while rescue operations were still underway, according to the Times of London.

Jordan said the fire broke out around 1:30 a.m. on New Year’s Day and claimed the club blocked its social media accounts between 3 a.m. and 6:30 a.m., while its website was also taken offline as emergency services worked to extinguish the flames and rescue victims.

He said the suspended accounts contained videos of the packed holiday party and earlier festivities, arguing that their removal showed security concerns “came to the managers’ minds straight away.”

“My clients want answers,” he said. “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 fire tore through Le Constellation after sparklers attached to champagne bottles ignited the ceiling during the boozy celebration.

Following the tragedy, Jacques Moretti, 49, told Swiss outlet La Tribune de Genève that “everything was done according to the regulations” and claimed the nightclub had been inspected three times over the past 10 years. He was not inside the nightclub at the time of the fire.

However, Jordan called on prosecutors to intensify the investigation into the Crans-Montana council after officials admitted the bar had not undergone a safety inspection since 2019.

In a statement released Tuesday, the Morettis said they were “devastated” and thinking of the victims, pledging to cooperate with investigators and saying they would “in no way” seek to avoid responsibility, according to The Times.

Other lawyers representing victims have criticized prosecutors for not keeping the Morettis in custody, warning the couple could flee to France — which rarely extradites its own citizens — to avoid trial in Switzerland.

Jordan said he was “surprised” prosecutors did not require the couple to deposit money with the court as a condition of bail.

French newspaper Le Parisien reported that Jacques has an extensive criminal history dating back more than 20 years and is “no stranger” to the French justice system.

“He is known for pimping cases dating back some twenty years, as well as for a kidnapping and confinement case. He was imprisoned in Savoie,” the outlet reported.

Belgian broadcaster RTL also cited a legal source who said Moretti’s prison sentence involved “cases of pimping, fraud, kidnapping and false imprisonment.”