The judge extends the DANA case until April 2027 while waiting for the deleted messages from Mazón's right-hand man

The judicial investigation into the management of the DANA of October 29, 2024 will remain open until the end of April 2027. The judge of Catarroja Nuria Ruiz Tobarra has extended the investigation by another six months starting next October 30, when the previously agreed deadline expired.

The magistrate considers it impossible to complete the pending proceedings before that date. In the order released this Monday, she defines the case as an investigation of "great complexity" and "extreme gravity", opened to determine possible criminal responsibilities for the 232 deaths registered in the province of Valencia.

The extension has received the support of the Public Prosecutor's Office and 17 other private prosecutions, including relatives of the victims, associations, unions, and political parties. Ruiz Tobarra maintains that the extension is "absolutely inevitable" to ensure that all parties can participate in the procedure and that no relevant proceeding remains unpracticed.

There are still statements from victims and witnesses that may provide new names or necessitate more interrogations. There are also medical and forensic reports, in addition to the study of several deaths whose possible relationship with the catastrophe still needs to be examined.

The missing messages from Mazón's inner circle

One of the most important proceedings affects the communications of José Manuel Cuenca, former chief of staff of Carlos Mazón, during the hours when the flood was already hitting different municipalities and the Generalitat had not yet sent the alert to mobile phones.

The Civil Guard failed to recover the conversations from the device used by Cuenca. The card delivered to the Generalitat was reset and the data had disappeared, so the judge decided to request the collaboration of WhatsApp and Telegram. To do this, she sent a letter rogatory to the United States and a European investigation order to Belgium.

WhatsApp has already communicated that it does not retain the content of the conversations. The instructing judge has requested at least the available metadata, such as the identity of the participants and the date and time of each communication, information that would allow reconstructing part of the contacts maintained by Cuenca during the emergency.

The request covers messages exchanged with Mazón, the then Minister of Justice and Interior, Salomé Pradas, the former regional secretary for Emergencies, Emilio Argüeso, and other high-ranking officials. It also includes the so-called 'emergencies chat', in which Cuenca, Pradas, and Argüeso participated.

Ruiz Tobarra believes that "it is not out of the question" to receive useful information after October 30 and that this data could justify new evidence. The reconstruction of communications is especially relevant to know what information reached Mazón's circle, what instructions were conveyed to Cecopi, and who intervened in the decisions made before the Es-Alert was sent at 8:11 p.m.

Cuenca has denied having transmitted orders from Mazón to Pradas. However, the investigation already incorporated a message in which he asked the then minister to stop the possibility of a confinement. "Salo, no confinement please. Calm", he wrote while Cecopi was studying measures given the danger generated by the Forata dam.

The magistrate has pointed out during the investigation the contradictions between Cuenca's version and the documentation provided to the court. The conversations that are still missing can help complete the flow of information within the Consell during hours marked by the delay of the alert and the absence of clear instructions for the population.

The case will continue close to the Valencian elections

The procedure is being followed for possible crimes of negligent homicide and injuries. The formal status of investigated currently falls on Salomé Pradas and Emilio Argüeso, while judicial proceedings continue to examine the political and operational decisions adopted by the Generalitat then presided over by Mazón.

The extension will take the case until the end of April 2027, a few weeks before the Valencian regional elections scheduled for May. The order bases the extension on procedural needs, although the new calendar will keep the management of the previous PP Government under judicial investigation for a good part of the electoral period.

Ruiz Tobarra has also refused to include as a fatal victim a 93-year-old woman who died at the Hospital de Manises on November 25, 2024. The Institute of Legal Medicine has concluded that there is no direct relationship between the injuries suffered after the flood and her death, linked to her previous state of fragility and several serious pathologies.

The next actions will focus on pending testimonies, forensic reports, and the response of US authorities regarding Cuenca's communications. Mazón and Argüeso are also scheduled to appear on September 21 before the Congress's investigation commission.