A high-profile court ruling in Valencia has once again raised questions about the transparency of the investigation into one of the most tragic disasters in recent years. For Spaniards following the case of 230 deaths caused by the 2024 natural disaster, this development may mean that crucial details will remain outside the scope of the inquiry. At the center of attention is a WhatsApp group where actions were discussed at a critical moment, and the judge’s refusal to grant access to these messages.
Key figures involved
The ‘Emergency Services’ chat included senior officials who made decisions on the day of the tragedy. Among them were the former chief of staff to ex-president Carlos Mazón, José Manuel Cuenca, former head of the Department of Justice and Home Affairs Salomé Pradas, and former emergency director Emilio Argüeso. Their actions and communications on the day of the disaster could shed light on how decisions were made during those crucial hours.
However, Judge Nuria Ruiz Tobarra, who is leading the investigation, refused to allow an analysis of messages within this group. She explained that Cuenca’s consent to examine his correspondence applied only to personal messages with individual former officials, and not to the entire chat where emergency response issues were discussed.
Court’s reasoning
The court ruling came as a surprise to the prosecution, which insisted on the need to examine all communications related to the management of the emergency. In the judge’s opinion, the consent granted did not extend to analyzing messages with other members of the group, limiting the investigation’s capabilities.
As a result, the prosecution’s request, filed by Mai Mes, was rejected. This decision puzzled the public, as it is often in such groups where key crisis decisions are made. Now, part of the information potentially vital to understanding the course of events remains inaccessible to investigators.
Questions about officials’ actions
While testifying in court, Cuenca faced tough questions. He had to explain why the mobile phone he used on the day of the tragedy was returned to the administration already formatted. This raised suspicions of possible deletion of important data.
Cuenca himself claimed he gave no orders regarding the management of the situation on the day of the disaster, presenting himself as an official uninvolved in key decisions. However, messages provided to the court by Salome Pradas, who is also accused in the case, contradict this version. In the correspondence, Cuenca appears as an active participant in discussions and, in fact, as one of the coordinators of the emergency response.
Unexpected details
Particular attention was drawn to a phrase addressed to Pradas: “Salo, de confinar nada” (“Salo, no isolation at all”). This message, sent by Cuenca, indicates that he influenced decision-making at the most tense moment. Such details could be key to understanding how events unfolded during the critical hours and who was truly directing the actions of the services.
Nevertheless, due to the court’s refusal to analyze the ‘Emergency Services’ group correspondence, many questions remain unanswered. The judge’s decision has already sparked debate among experts and ordinary citizens concerned that the investigation may fail to reveal the full truth about the authorities’ actions on the day of the tragedy.
