A Spanish court on Monday dismissed a request to bring Valencia’s former regional president to trial over his handling of the devastating ‘DANA’ floods of 2024, finding no evidence that he had broken the law.
Carlos Mazón (main image), of the right-wing People’s Party (PP), stepped down in November 2025 following mounting criticism of his actions on the day of the disaster. Authorities had delayed issuing mobile alerts while he spent several hours at lunch with a journalist.
The case had been put forward by Judge Nuria Ruiz Tobarra, who is leading the investigation into the regional government’s response. She had recommended that Mazón face trial for negligence, arguing that his decision to ‘retreat to a private dining room when faced with an extremely serious situation’ was ‘a decisive factor in the deadly human toll’. ALSO READ: Valencia’s ex-leader grilled over deadly floods, claims missed calls were due to phone ‘in his backpack’.
Her recommendation was referred to the Superior Court of Justice of Valencia, the body responsible for deciding whether to prosecute Mazón due to his legal protections as a sitting member of the regional parliament.
In its ruling on Monday, the court concluded that Mazón had not breached any emergency management law, noting that existing legislation does not assign specific responsibilities to a regional president in such circumstances.
The decision may still be appealed and does not prevent Judge Ruiz Tobarra from continuing her investigation or submitting further requests for prosecution.
The floods, which struck on 29 October 2024, claimed 230 lives and caused widespread destruction, damaging thousands of homes across the Mediterranean region after a year’s worth of rainfall fell within just a few hours.
Anger over the tragedy remained evident a year later, when relatives of victims disrupted a state funeral, shouting ‘murderer’ and ‘coward’ as Mazón arrived. ALSO READ: Families of Spain’s flood victims express grief and anger at one-year memorial.
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El Tribunal Superior de Justicia de la Comunidad Valenciana rechaza, por el momento, investigar a Carlos Mazón por la gestión de la DANA.
— Telediarios de TVE (@telediario_tve) March 16, 2026
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