Also making the news this Tuesday was the appearance of the head of the Valencian Council, Carlos Mazón, who announced a new aid package of €350 million for those affected by the cold snap. This amount is in addition to the €1.157 billion already granted by the Generalitat (Catalan government). The Valencian president, who did not accept questions from the media, explained that €3,000 will be provided for essential expenses for all affected residents—they had already received €6,000 for the same purpose—and €2,500 for the 87,000 citizens who lost their vehicles—the same amount that 300 initially received—and for those who were in an ERTO (temporary layoff).
The DANA judge denounces a "defamatory campaign" laden with "atrocious machismo" against her.
Ruiz Tobarra accuses the defense of trying to remove her from the case and pervert the investigation.
02/09/2025
2 min
ValenciaThe DANA judge, Nuria Ruiz Tobarra, has denounced being the victim of a "defamatory campaign" full of "atrocious machismo" that attempts to remove her from the case and in which she has denounced the participation of media outlets such as OK Diario and the defense attorneys for both defendants in the investigation, former Valencian Minister of Justice and the Interior, Salomé Pradas, and her former deputy, Emilio Argüeso. This was stated this Tuesday in a ruling denying the proceedings requested by the defense attorneys to clarify alleged interference in the case of the judge's husband, also Judge Jorge Martínez.
The judge lamented the continued complaints filed by the defendants before the General Council of the Judiciary (CGPJ), which are in addition to news reports, "complaints, and lawsuits" against them that include photographs obtained illegally by a lawyer who recorded them after a statement, and Martínez recorded them after a statement. Ruiz Tobarra emphasizes that the information and documents claiming that her husband is participating in the investigation denigrate her "as a judge and as a woman." Furthermore, she emphasizes that the comments section of the posts contains "hate speech that includes insults and threats" toward her and her husband.
The judge details that on July 31, Argüeso's lawyer, José María Bueno Manzanares, who is also a lawyer for the far-right pseudo-union Manos Limpias, requested information on how many DANA investigations "her husband had participated in." These insinuations, according to the judge, "flatly violate all the most basic principles of professional ethics." For the judge, Bueno's intention is to pervert the process and, instead of investigating the reckless homicides and injuries caused by the handling of the disaster, analyze the actions of the judge and her husband. "An aberrant shift in the procedure," emphasizes Ruiz Tobarra.
The judge also directs her criticism at Salomé Pradas's lawyer, Eduardo de Urbano, who filed three complaints with the CGPJ with similar accusations and was the first to insinuate Jorge Martínez's alleged interference. Finally, the judge complains that the criticism has not been assuaged by the rulings of the Valencia Provincial Court, which has repeatedly validated the judge's actions.
Ruiz Tobarra's statement was made public the day after members of the Association of 29-O Death Victims gathered in Catarroja to show their support for the judge's actions. The association's president, Rosa Álvarez, stated that the judge is "very humane and professional" and emphasized that so far she has issued "very enlightening" rulings.
New aid from the Generalitat
