Investigating judge Nuria Ruiz Tobarra has formally requested that former Valencia regional government chief Carlos Mazón be charged. She accuses him of gross negligence that led to the deaths of 230 people during the DANA flood in October 2024. Mazón faces up to four years in prison for involuntary manslaughter, after he spent crucial hours of the crisis feasting at a restaurant.

Request for Charges Against Mazón

The judge accuses the former Valencia leader of involuntary manslaughter of 230 people through gross dereliction of official duties.

Housing Scandal in Alicante

The UDEF police will investigate the allocation of social housing to People's Party politicians in a luxury seaside district.

Reform of Victims Law

The Spanish government will change the law to recognize a trade unionist who died tragically in 1977 as a victim of state repression.

The Spanish justice system is taking an unprecedented step to address the tragedy of the 2024 DANA flood. The investigating judge from Catarroja has submitted a 109-page indictment to the Superior Court of Justice of the Valencian Community. The main accused is Carlos Mazón, who was serving as President of the Generalitat Valenciana at the time of the disaster. The prosecution and the judge point to a glaring pattern of negligence and the politician's "endless feast" at the "El Ventorro" restaurant while the region was drowning in floodwaters. According to testimony from his security detail, Mazón deliberately dismissed his protection to hide a meeting with journalist Maribel Vilaplana, despite the highest-level red weather alert being in effect. Carlos Mazón held the office of President of Valencia from 2023 to 2025, when he was forced to resign under pressure from unprecedented social protests following the DANA tragedy.Judge Nuria Ruiz Tobarra indicates that Mazón was the highest-ranking official responsible for crisis management and citizen protection. Failures in coordination, delays in sending SMS alerts, and ignoring signals from meteorological services led to the deaths of 230 people. Meanwhile, in Alicante, another corruption scandal is brewing concerning protected housing (VPO), involving politicians from the People's Party (PP) and their families. The investigating judge has handed over documentation in this case to the specialized economic police unit UDEF after it was revealed that luxury apartments with pools in the San Juan beach area were allocated to relatives of officials instead of those in need. The Spanish protected housing system (VPO) was created to provide access to housing for low-income families, but has historically repeatedly fallen victim to speculation and local arrangements.Against the backdrop of these legal disputes, the government of Pedro Sánchez has announced an expedited reform of two laws to recognize Manuel José García Caparrós as a victim of state terrorism. Caparrós was killed in 1977 by militia bullets during a demonstration for Andalusian autonomy. This is a sudden turn of events, as just a few days earlier the Ministry of the Interior refused the victim's family such recognition, arguing that the case did not fit the literal wording of the regulations. This decision triggered a powerful wave of criticism from the coalition partner (Sumar) and left-wing regional parties, forcing Minister Marlaska to change his position and propose an ad hoc legislative amendment. „Una sobremesa interminable y una grosera negligencia: por qué pide la jueza de la dana imputar a Mazón” (An endless after-dinner gathering and gross negligence: why the DANA judge is seeking to charge Mazón) — Nuria Ruiz Tobarra

Mentioned People

  • Carlos Mazón — Former President of Valencia, against whom criminal charges for manslaughter by negligence are being sought.
  • Nuria Ruiz Tobarra — Investigating judge handling the DANA disaster case in Valencia.
  • Fernando Grande-Marlaska — Spanish Minister of the Interior, announced the reform of victims' rights laws.