Spanish Judge Rejects Carlos Mazón's Request to be Investigated in DANA Flood Case

A Spanish judge rejected former Valencian regional president Carlos Mazón's request to appear as an investigated party in the court case examining the management of the October 29, 2024, DANA floods that killed 230 people in the Valencian Community. Magistrate Nuria Ruiz Tobarra of the Catarroja court issued an order stating that, under Spanish law, a person already summoned as a witness cannot request to be treated as a suspect. The judge dismissed the legal argument as having "no procedural or factual basis whatsoever," according to the order. Mazón, who resigned as president of the Generalitat Valenciana in December 2025 and now serves as a deputy for Alicante in the Valencian Courts, had sought the status change to determine whether he remained under active investigation following a ruling by the High Court of Justice of the Valencian Community that found no criminal evidence against him. The magistrate noted that the concept of an "assisted witness" — a hybrid status allowing a witness to access investigative materials — exists in French law but has no equivalent in the Spanish legal system.

Mazón insists he has the right to know his status Speaking to journalists in the corridors of the Valencian parliament on Tuesday, Mazón defended his legal team's move as a straightforward attempt to clarify his standing in the proceedings. His defense is led by Alicante lawyer Ignacio Gally, who submitted the brief to the Catarroja court on Monday. „We have requested to appear in order to know whether, after the ruling, I am still being investigated or not. I want to know whether I am being investigated or not. I have the right.” — Carlos Mazón via Europa Press Mazón also rejected suggestions that he had changed his account of events on the afternoon of October 29, 2024, when he was having lunch with journalist Maribel Vilaplana at the El Ventorro restaurant as the floods swept through the region. He attributed apparent inconsistencies in his public statements to what he described as "many hoaxes to which it was necessary to respond." When asked whether testifying as a witness — a role in which he is legally obliged to tell the truth — would be a suitable way to present his version of events, Mazón said he had already given "dozens of explanations, dozens of appearances, dozens of data," adding that he believed "it is time for others to assume some kind of responsibility." He declined to comment on testimony given the same day by Jorge Suárez, the Deputy Director of Emergencies, who reportedly told the court that a leaked and manipulated Aemet audio recording had been requested by the presidency.

Opposition calls the move a bid to escape accountability The request drew sharp criticism from the left-wing parties in the Valencian parliament. José Muñoz, the parliamentary spokesperson for the PSPV, questioned the legal basis of the maneuver and said it was designed to "hinder the emergence of the truth." Muñoz also called on current Generalitat president Juanfran Pérez Llorca to pressure Mazón to relinquish his parliamentary seat, and said that if Mazón refused, he should be expelled from the Popular parliamentary group. Joan Baldoví, the Compromís spokesperson in the Valencian parliament, described the move as "indecent and immoral," arguing it allowed Mazón to avoid telling the truth before the judge and to "escape from his responsibility." Mazón did not answer questions about whether he intends to give up his seat as a regional deputy. The right-wing parties took a contrasting position: Nando Pastor of the Partido Popular argued that after the High Court found no criminal evidence, Mazón "is within his rights to appear as he sees fit," while Vox's parliamentary spokesperson José María Llanos emphasized "the right of everyone to their defense" and said the use of "all procedural mechanisms" was a common and legitimate practice.

Legal strategy aimed at annulling remaining proceedings against him The rejected request was part of a broader legal strategy by Mazón's defense team aimed at formally ending his involvement in the Catarroja investigation. According to reporting by El Mundo, the defense maintains that the investigating judge has continued to carry out proceedings against Mazón in practice, despite the TSJCV ruling that blocked his formal indictment by finding only "simple conjectures" rather than criminal evidence in his management of the disaster. Because Mazón holds a parliamentary seat, he retains parliamentary immunity, which his defense argues provides an additional procedural shield. With the appearance request now rejected, his legal team retains the option of appealing to the Valencia Court of Appeal to have any ongoing investigative actions declared null and void. The ultimate objective, according to El Mundo's reporting, is to secure Mazón's definitive and official removal from the proceedings entirely.

The DANA of October 29, 2024, was a catastrophic flash flood event that struck the Valencian Community, killing 230 people. The disaster triggered intense political and judicial scrutiny of the regional government's emergency response, including the timing of official alerts to the public. Mazón resigned as president of the Generalitat Valenciana in December 2025 following sustained pressure from across the political spectrum over his handling of the crisis. The TSJCV subsequently reviewed the case and concluded there were no criminal indications in Mazón's conduct, describing the allegations as "simple conjectures." The Catarroja court has continued its own investigation into the broader management of the emergency.

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