Mazón admits that "in no way" did he lead anything the day of the DANA

Madrid"Who can expect much from this individual when he should have resigned on October 30, 31, or November 1, 2024?" With these low expectations, the relatives of the victims of the DANA storm faced Carlos Mazón's second appearance in Congress, gathered at the doors of the lower house to demand answers from the former president of the Generalitat Valenciana. The result was as expected, with a Mazón who brushed off responsibility once again and refused to give new explanations, with an impassive demeanor, in the face of questions and attacks from the spokespersons of the parties of the plurinational majority at the investigation commission.

"I refer to my initial statement" was the phrase most repeated by the former Valencian president to escape the questioning. And what did he say in the initial statement? Right from the start, Mazón argued that he is exonerated by the decision of the High Court of Justice of the Valencian Country (TSJPV) to refuse to investigate him. "It completely rules out my responsibility," he asserted. Although he was the president, he ended up admitting that he "in no way" led anything on the day of the DANA, pointing out that the justice system is already investigating other political officials as potentially responsible for the emergency.

The former Valencian president has even claimed that there is "a firm ruling by five magistrates" that exonerates him, although he has never been tried and the TSJPV's pronouncement is an interlocutory order that dismisses the attempt made by the DANA investigating judge at the Catarroja courts, Nuria Ruiz Tobarra, to get the Alicante politician investigated for homicide and reckless injury and failure to render aid for an action she described as "negligent inactivity." The judge could not take the step herself because Mazón remains protected by parliamentary immunity as he keeps his seat in the Valencian Courts. In this sense, victims' associations have demanded that he "leave politics now" so that "the judicial process may continue." The former Valencian president took a year to resign as head of the executive—he did not take the step until November 3, 2025—and, in the words of Rosa Álvarez, spokesperson for the October 29 DANA Mortal Victims Association, it was "a false resignation."

"He is better off than before, collecting a salary as a former president, occupying seat 98 without attending anything [...]. It is a true shame. If he does not want to cause any more harm to the families, he should leave politics once and for all and leave us in peace so that we can begin the mourning process that we have not yet been able to start," stressed Álvarez. The same message was conveyed by Mariló Gradolí, spokesperson for the Association of Victims of the October 29 DANA: "It is undignified that Mazón continues to collect money from the Valencians and continues to lie from a public office [...] He must clarify all of his lies and manipulations." Inside the commission, several deputies from the left echoed these words from the victims, spoken outside the Congress. The ERC spokesperson, Gabriel Rufián, read questions from people who lost family members in the tragedy —"Do you regret anything? Would you change anything about what you did?" or "If it rained today like it did that day, would exactly the same thing happen?"— without Mazón having responded.

Rufián's intervention was one of the tensest moments of the appearance, given the interviewee's prolonged silences in response to these questions with a strong emotional charge. The Republican labeled Mazón a "negligent, useless, reckless homicide, and psychopath," amidst complaints from PP deputies, who closed ranks with the former Valencian president and interrupted the interrogations on numerous occasions. Compromís deputy Alberto Ibáñez was also one of those who most raised his tone against Mazón when he reproached him for the messages he exchanged early in the morning on October 29th via WhatsApp chat with his ministers. "Nothing more sadistic, cruel, and useless," Ibáñez rebuked regarding the message, known in the context of the investigation by the judge in Catarroja, in which Mazón asked to "flood the media with data" because that gives off a "feeling of being on alert that scares the hell out of you."

It is precisely these messages—provided to the case by former Valencian vice-president Susana Camarero—and a letter sent by Mazón to the judge, in which he alleged that there is no evidence against him, that have led to this second appearance. The former president of the Generalitat has defended that he already sufficiently clarified his role in his previous appearance before Congress, "on November 17, 2025 The regulations are very clear," he stated, insisting that "in no way" did he lead the response to the emergency.