Judge investigating Spain's DANA floods alleges mafia-style harassment

The judge leading the investigation into the deadly DANA floods in Valencia, Nuria Ruiz Tobarra, has filed a complaint with the General Council of the Judiciary (CGPJ) alleging she faced pressure, illegal recordings, and stalking aimed at removing her from the case. The CGPJ dismissed her grievance in September after ruling out involvement by her husband in witness interrogations.

Ruiz Tobarra, the judge in Catarroja handling the case regarding the disaster that left **233 dead** in Valencia, submitted a written statement last March to the **General Council of the Judiciary**. She denounced pressures, illegal recordings, and surveillance intended to sideline her from the investigation. This occurred one month after she took over the inquiry launched trinc the floods of **October 29, 2024**. "My independence is being attacked when these methods are used as a means to exert pressure on me," she stated in the document, obtained by **EL PAÍS**.

## A strategy to annul the investigation

According to the magistrate, lawyer and YouTuber **Ruben Gisbert**, who represents six victims of the tragedy, acted in sync with the union **Manos Limpias** and the defense teams of two former high-ranking officials under ex-president **Carlos Mazón**: former Justice and Interior Minister **Salomé Pradas** and her deputy during the flood, **Emilio Argüeso**. She argues their goal was to remove her from the case and invalidate the investigation.

Ruiz Tobarra harshly criticized Gisbert in her filing. "He said I should undergo a psychiatric exam, that I am not mentally fit, and called me a incivil, corrupt, and prevaricator," she lamented. Last March, the **High Court of Justice of the Valencian Community** dismissed a lawsuit filed by Gisbert against the investigating judge and her husband for alleged interference in the proceedings.

The judge also claimed she was illegally recorded at the courthouse during the initial phase of the investigation. "I was illicitly recorded in the courtroom at the City of Justice in Valencia via Webex after a testimony concluded," she noted, referring to footage leaked to digital media in **2025** that supported a Manos Limpias lawsuit accusing her of prevarication. That complaint was archived by the TSJCV last October because it relied solely on press clippings and opinion articles.

## Husband investigated then cleared by the CGPJ

The statement also served to defend against alleged irregularities in the instruction attributed to her and her husband, fellow magistrate **Jorge Martínez Ribera**, head of Investigating Court No. 4 in Valencia. Both were initially charged. The **CGPJ** dismissed this complaint in September, finding no evidence that Martínez Ribera participated in taking witness statements.

Ruiz Tobarra admitted her husband had contact with victims early in the investigation. "On some occasions my husband Jorge approached; he collected IDs from people entering the room or accompanied relatives to get certificates at the City of Justice. He even helped a wheelchair-bound victim to the cafeteria." The judge denied this behavior was illegal and questioned audio clips published online purporting to show Martínez Ribera’s interference. "I do not recognize his voice in the audios and deny he participated in the act. It is clearly manipulated recording, lacking chronological continuity," she pointed out.

According to her account, the strategy against the judge involved snooping into her personal life to spread claims that she and her husband, a member of the **Professional Association of Magistrates**, act to attack the PP party. "It is claimed we live in Catarroja, that I buy bread and shop with its mayor," she added regarding Gisbert, whom she calls a spreader of rumors for stating more than **500 people** died in the DANA, whereas the official figure is 233. Gisbert participated in the February parliamentary commission investigating the floods, controlled by PP and Vox.

## Argüeso's lawyer and Mazón's defense

The judge also placed **José María Bueno Manzanares**, lawyer for the investigated former Director of Emergencies of the Generalitat, Emilio Argüeso, within the scheme to remove her from the case. Bueno Manzanares has presented himself as head of legal services for Manos Limpias, which was expelled from the case last year. Ruiz Tobarra told the Judicial Power body that Bueno Manzanares mounted a "heated defense" of Mazón during witness testimonies by PP leader **Alberto Núñez Feijóo** and journalist **Maribel Vilaplana**, who dined with the ex-president on the day of the DANA.

The investigating judge also referred to the personal consequences of media exposure. "Photos appear repeatedly on television. And this has led me to stop watching these programs," she complained. "He publicly labeled me a 'village judge,' something that doesn't bother me, but rather makes me proud," she concluded about Gisbert.

The case continues in the courts of Catarroja. Cross-complaints between the investigating judge and those questioning her have been dismissed by various instances, but the DANA investigation remains open. Anyone named in such proceedings is presumed innocent until a final judicial resolution exists.