In January 2026, a scandal erupted in the corridors of power in Valencia that could change the course of a high-profile investigation. José Manuel Cuenca, former chief of staff to President Carlos Mazón, returned his work-issued iPhone to the administration after completely wiping its memory. This move introduced an unexpected twist in the case concerning the tragedy that claimed 230 lives in the autumn of 2024.
According to the official report by IT experts, Cuenca’s smartphone was reset to factory settings. All apps and personal data vanished without a trace. Even the WhatsApp history, the key messaging app used during the height of the crisis, was inaccessible to investigators. The phone was active until December but now is effectively a blank slate.
Key details
Investigators believe that this device stored critical information about the leadership’s actions during the decisive hours of the catastrophe. Judge Nuria Ruiz Tobarra from Catarroja has already summoned Cuenca twice to testify. His role in crisis management is now raising even more questions.
In December, after reviewing notarially certified WhatsApp conversations provided by former Justice Department head Salomé Pradas, the judge summoned Cuenca back to court. It turned out he was not merely an observer, as he had previously claimed. On the contrary, he was the one issuing directives to Pradas, who was responsible for coordinating the emergency response.
Messages and directives
In one of the messages sent on the evening of October 29, Cuenca persistently urged against imposing a lockdown and called for calm. These words were spoken at a time when the situation was already out of control, and the number of victims was rising by the hour. The correspondence between Cuenca and Pradas revealed that the administration had been aware of the scale of the disaster long before any official statements.
After the change of government in December, Cuenca was dismissed by the new president, Juan Francisco Pérez Llorca. However, his involvement in the investigation did not end there. This coming Monday, he is expected to face Pradas in court — a rare procedure that could shed light on contradictions in their testimonies.
Resistance and arguments
During the second interrogation, Cuenca claimed that the messages provided by Pradas were taken out of context. He categorically refused to hand over his phone to the investigators, citing his right to privacy. Later, he stated that all the messages had been deleted and he had no backups.
Such behavior puzzled the judge. After lengthy arguments, Cuenca agreed to let the court ask the administration if it was possible to recover the correspondence. It was also decided to determine whether Mazón himself was willing to provide his messages for the investigation.
Political immunity
The situation is further complicated by the fact that Carlos Mazón, despite his resignation, still enjoys parliamentary immunity. This means that only the High Court of the Valencian Community can investigate his actions. For now, the spotlight is on his former aide, who has found himself at the center of the scandal.
The case of data being wiped from Cuenca’s phone has become a real puzzle for investigators. Questions keep piling up: what exactly was erased, why was it done, and who else might have known about it? The answers to these questions could reshape not only the course of the investigation, but also the region’s political landscape.
