A JUDGE says the Valencia region’s ex-president, Carlos Mazon should stand trial for negligence over his handling of the October 2024 flood disaster that killed 230 people.
Mazon resigned last November after a year of intense scrutiny over his whereabouts on the day of the disaster.
He spent several hours on the day of the floods having an extended lunch with a journalist while his government delayed sending mobile emergency alerts to warn residents.
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Judge Nuria Ruiz Tobarra, who is investigating the regional government’s response, said there is evidence that Mazon showed ‘total negligence in the coordination and management’ of the floods.
Mazon’s decision to ‘retreat to a private dining room when faced with an extremely serious situation’ was ‘a decisive factor in the deadly human toll’, she added in her ruling.
Ruiz Tobarra said there was a ‘causal link’ with the deaths of people due to a lack of an emergency alert warning.
The judge referred the case to the Valencian Superior Court which has the authority to charge Mazon because he has immunity from prosecution since he is still a Partido Popular member of the regional parliament- Les Corts.
The Valencian bench must now decide whether to put Mazon on trial as recommended by the lower court, continue investigating, or drop the case.
In addition to the 230 fatalities, thousands of homes and infrastructures were damaged when a year’s worth of rain fell within a few hours on October 29, 2024.
Families of victims have repeatedly blamed Mazon and regular protests calling for his resignation and prosecution have taken place in the area.
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