Lorraine Williamson
Former Valencian president Carlos Mazón has asked to formally join the court case investigating the handling of the October 2024 DANA disaster, a move that comes days after he was called to testify as a witness. The request was filed at the court in Catarroja, which is leading the criminal investigation into the emergency response to the floods that killed 230 people in the province of Valencia.
The timing matters. Mazón was summoned last week by investigating judge Nuria Ruiz Tobarra after the Valencian High Court declined to open a criminal investigation into him directly, citing the lack of sufficient evidence at that stage and the fact that, as an MP, he has protected legal status. He has now asked to be allowed into the case file so his legal team can access the proceedings and defend his interests.
Why this is more than a procedural footnote
On paper, this is a legal step. In political terms, it looks more significant than that. By seeking to become part of the proceedings before giving evidence, Mazón appears to be positioning himself ahead of a highly sensitive testimony that could shape the next phase of one of Spain’s most politically charged disaster investigations.
El País reports that the application was filed by lawyer Ignacio Gally, president of the Alicante Bar Association. The newspaper says the move is being read in legal circles as a way for Mazón to protect himself before appearing in court, especially as the judge continues to examine matters that affect him directly, including efforts to recover deleted WhatsApp messages linked to his former chief of staff.
What the judge has already asked for
Mazón has been called as a witness, though no date has yet been set. That is important in itself because the judge has also asked him to hand over the WhatsApp messages he exchanged on the day of the floods. The investigation remains centred on the management of the emergency response during the catastrophe, with former regional interior minister Salomé Pradas and former emergencies secretary Emilio Argüeso already under investigation in the case.
RTVE and Europa Press both report that Mazón is relying on provisions of the Criminal Procedure Act, following a 2021 reform, to ask for access to the proceedings because the inquiry affects his legal interests. The judge must now decide whether to allow that request. If she refuses, he can appeal to the Valencia court.
The politics have not cooled
This case has never been only about courtroom procedure. It still carries a heavy political charge in Valencia, where public anger over the handling of the disaster remains strong. Just on Saturday, protesters again took to the streets demanding that Mazón give up his seat and face full accountability over the DANA response.
That is why Monday’s move matters. It does not mean Mazón has been charged, and it does not automatically change the legal status laid out by the higher court. But it does show that he is no longer standing at arm’s length from the investigation. He wants access, he wants sight of what is being examined, and he wants to be legally prepared before he speaks.
A case still capable of moving
For now, the key question is what the judge does next. If Mazón is allowed to formally join the case, he will gain fuller access to a judicial process that has already become central to the political fallout from the Valencia floods. If the request is rejected, the battle may simply move to appeal. Either way, his attempt to step inside the proceedings underlines one thing: the judicial and political shadow of the DANA disaster is far from over.