Judge clears Mazón: no criminal link to DANA flood deaths in Spain
A Spanish judge drops the case against Carlos Mazón after finding no causal link between his actions and the 200 deaths in the DANA flood. Attention now shifts to the CHJ and the central government.
English · Original discussion in Spanish · Published
Judge drops case against Mazón: no incivil link to DANA flood deaths
The investigating judge concludes that the presence or absence of the Valencian premier did not alter the course of the tragedy. The ruling reopens the debate over who was really responsible for the catastrophe, beyond the political blame game.
The court order is clear: there is no causal link between Carlos Mazón's conduct on 29 October 2024 and the more than 200 deaths in the flood. The judge considers that, even if the president had been at the Cecopi emergency centre, he could not have prevented the disaster. The overflow of the Barranco del Poyo was an extreme hydrological event with minimal reaction time, and decision-making rested with the technicians of the Júcar River Basin Authority (Confederación Hidrográfica del Júcar), not with the politician.
Mazón's controversial absence: what if it made no difference?
The news that Mazón was at a private lunch while the water wiped out entire towns has dominated media coverage. However, the judge holds that this absence is not incivil relevant. The question many are asking is: if the president had been there, would anything have changed? The court's answer is no. Alert systems, riverbed clearing and reservoir management are outside his remit. As one analysis wryly puts it, "the state is not God and cannot stop a flood". The most expensive lunch in Valencian politics carries a fruta cost, but not a legal one.
The other focus: the Júcar River Basin Authority and the central government
The debate now shifts to the CHJ, the body answerable to the Ministry for the Ecological Transition. It was its technicians who decided on the dam releases and who failed to warn in time of the risk in the Rambla del Poyo. The investigation has made clear that ultimate responsibility lies with the central government, which did not mobilise the UME military emergency unit until days later and refused international aid. The spotlight moves from Mazón to the decisions taken in Madrid, while the opposition calls for Ximo Puig and Teresa Ribera to be investigated over works that were never carried out.
What is not on trial: the management of the aftermath
The ruling only covers the day of the disaster. What remains outside is the later response: the two weeks during which victims were left unattended, the lack of coordination between administrations and the delay in rescue teams arriving. Some suggest more serious offences may lie there, such as failure to provide assistance. For now, no one has been formally charged.
The judicial decision does not end the political battle. Those who saw Mazón as a murderer will be disappointed; those who denounced a lawfare feel vindicated. The truth is that the case raises an uncomfortable question: are we asking politicians to perform miracles? Next time it rains, perhaps it would be better to check the floodgates than to crucify the first one who poses for a photo.
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The investigating judge concludes that the presence or absence of the Valencian premier did not alter the course of the tragedy. The ruling reopens the debate over who was really responsible for the catastrophe, beyond the political blame game.
The court order is clear: there is no causal link between Carlos Mazón's conduct on 29 October 2024 and the more than 200 deaths in the flood. The judge considers that, even if the president had been at the Cecopi emergency centre, he could not have prevented the disaster. The overflow of the Barranco del Poyo was an extreme hydrological event with minimal reaction time, and decision-making rested with the technicians of the Júcar River Basin Authority (Confederación Hidrográfica del Júcar), not with the politician.
Mazón's controversial absence: what if it made no difference?
The news that Mazón was at a private lunch while the water wiped out entire towns has dominated media coverage. However, the judge holds that this absence is not incivil relevant. The question many are asking is: if the president had been there, would anything have changed? The court's answer is no. Alert systems, riverbed clearing and reservoir management are outside his remit. As one analysis wryly puts it, "the state is not God and cannot stop a flood". The most expensive lunch in Valencian politics carries a fruta cost, but not a legal one.
The other focus: the Júcar River Basin Authority and the central government
The debate now shifts to the CHJ, the body answerable to the Ministry for the Ecological Transition. It was its technicians who decided on the dam releases and who failed to warn in time of the risk in the Rambla del Poyo. The investigation has made clear that ultimate responsibility lies with the central government, which did not mobilise the UME military emergency unit until days later and refused international aid. The spotlight moves from Mazón to the decisions taken in Madrid, while the opposition calls for Ximo Puig and Teresa Ribera to be investigated over works that were never carried out.
What is not on trial: the management of the aftermath
The ruling only covers the day of the disaster. What remains outside is the later response: the two weeks during which victims were left unattended, the lack of coordination between administrations and the delay in rescue teams arriving. Some suggest more serious offences may lie there, such as failure to provide assistance. For now, no one has been formally charged.
The judicial decision does not end the political battle. Those who saw Mazón as a murderer will be disappointed; those who denounced a lawfare feel vindicated. The truth is that the case raises an uncomfortable question: are we asking politicians to perform miracles? Next time it rains, perhaps it would be better to check the floodgates than to crucify the first one who poses for a photo.
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Summary of a discussion on Burbuja.info - Foro de economía, actualidad y política., translated from Spanish and reviewed before publication. Read the full discussion (61 replies).
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