Mazón's chief of staff lied to the judge, denying that he spoke with Pradas about ES-Alert.

ValenciaJosé Manuel Cuenca, who served as Carlos Mazón's chief of staff during his presidency of the Valencian Generalitat, testified before the judge that he had "no idea" about lockdowns and that he referred the inquiry from the then Minister of Justice and the Interior, Salomé Pradas, to Cayetano García, the then Regional Secretary of the Presidency, because he was the right-hand man of the right-hand man of the right-hand man. This appears in the transcript of the statement given by the former high-ranking official as a witness on November 26, which ARA has obtained. However, in the WhatsApp messages that Pradas submitted to the court, it can be seen how the then-Minister explained to him that the situation was very complicated and that he should send an alert to the population. Pradas even raised the idea of confining the entire population of the province of Valencia, an option that Cuenca asked her to dismiss.

Cuenca stated that Pradas "consulted him about the option of a lockdown." "It seems they were considering [this option] because there was a dam [Forata] at risk of bursting," the document details. It also states that, according to the former high-ranking official, the former councilor expressed her doubts about whether the responsibility lay "with her or with the Government Delegation." According to the former chief of staff, he only told Pradas to speak with García and did not speak with her again until the following day. The statement also indicates that they did not discuss "the possibility of sending the ES-Alert."

These statements contradict the information provided by Salomé Pradas's WhatsApp messages, which reveal how Cuenca stopped the former councilor when she intended to confine the population of the entire province of Valencia and how she also acted as a liaison between the then-head of Emergencies and Carlos Mazón, which culminated in a meeting with Villa a Caña. Therefore, the former chief of staff will have to testify again this Friday before the judge who has summoned him to clarify what really happened. Cuenca has been called as a witness and has an obligation to tell the truth: if the judge believes he has lied, she could prosecute him for perjury (six months to two years in prison). She could also end up prosecuting him for his handling of the DANA storm if she considers him responsible.

Cuenca's appearance will also take place the day after the release of the messages provided to the case by Pilar Montes, then secretary to Carlos Mazón's cabinet. These messages reveal that José Manuel Cuenca was out of the city of Valencia all afternoon on the day of the storm to attend to "a party matter." In one message, Cuenca explains to Montes his difficulties returning to Valencia. When she asks him who his driver is, the chief of staff replies that he had gone to Xàtiva "on a party matter" and had to take a taxi because he couldn't catch a train back.