The never-before-seen video of Carlos Mazón's arrival at Cecopio
The judge recently requested that the recording be added to the case file.
ValenciaThe video of Carlos Mazón's arrival at the Eliana Emergency Coordination Center on October 29th of last year has been added to the DANA (isolated high-altitude depression) case, as requested a few days ago by investigating judge Nuria Ruiz Tobarra. The recording shows the former president arriving with his head of communications, Maite Gómez, and advisor Josep Lanuza. In February, the Valencian regional government (Generalitat Valenciana) released a screenshot of the video to explain that Mazón's arrival occurred at 8:28 p.m., 17 minutes after the ES-Alert alert was sent. This detail was intended to distance the PP (People's Party) politician from the central element of the judge's investigation into the DANA: the delayed and erroneous warning issued to the public. The judge's request comes after testimony provided by journalist Maribel Vilaplana. The journalist's account leaves open the question of whether, after saying goodbye, Mazón stopped anywhere before going to the Palau de la Generalitat—the distance between the parking lot and the Valencian government headquarters can be covered on foot in 10 to 15 minutes—and from there, going to the Cecopio, where he arrived. To try to clarify these doubts, the judge summoned his bodyguards and driver as witnesses and requested from the Generalitat the recordings showing the former head of the Consell's arrival at the Emergency Center, including the exact time. The judge argues that this evidence is "relevant" to analyzing the "decision-making process" of former councilor Salomé Pradas on the day of the tragedy. In this regard, it is emphasized that the president's role includes "directive and coordinating" functions for all members of the Valencian government, as indicated by the Provincial Court of Valencia on October 16th. These functions "cannot be limited to those exercised in person, but must also extend to those exercised by telephone." Alfonso López de Vicuña, head of Security and Infrastructure at the Emergency Coordination Center, stated this Tuesday that he kept the footage showing the president accessing the Cecopio (Emergency Coordination Center) for more than a month, as stipulated by law. He added that the Popular Party member arrived at the facility with a two-car convoy of Generalitat (Valencian Government) personnel. [We are working to expand on this information]
