A judge from Catarroja (Valencia province), who is overseeing the criminal investigation into the authorities’ actions during the severe rainfall emergency (DANA), has rejected a request to summon Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez as a witness. The request was initiated by the civic organization Hazte Oír, which insisted on the need to hear testimony from the Prime Minister.
The court decision notes that the basis for summoning Sánchez was a personal message he sent at 10:50 p.m. on October 29, 2024, to the then-president of the Valencian Community, Carlos Mazón. However, the judge emphasized that this time differs significantly from the period when key decisions were being made to respond to the emergency. The last official alert to the public via the Es-Alert system was sent out at 8:57 p.m. that same day.
Court’s arguments
The judge found that questioning Sánchez would not help clarify the circumstances of the case. The document stresses that his message does not coincide with the critical phase of decision-making and therefore cannot shed light on the authorities’ actions during the crisis. Additionally, the judge noted that Sánchez’s possible testimony cannot be equated with the already agreed interrogations of other politicians.
In particular, it was previously decided to hear from the leader of the Partido Popular, Alberto Núñez Feijóo. This is due to the fact that Feijóo claimed he was receiving updates about the situation from Mazón in real time. The court found that his testimony may be useful in clarifying details of communication between the leaders during the height of the crisis.
Investigation details
As part of the investigation, the court also contacted the Department of Information Technology and Communications of the Valencian regional government. The judge requested to determine whether it is possible to recover the WhatsApp correspondence between then-cabinet secretary José Manuel Cuenca and Carlos Mazón on that same day. This could help establish how information was exchanged between key figures during the emergency.
Earlier, the court had already asked Feijóo to provide his messages and calls with Mazón to obtain a fuller picture of the events of October 29. During the hearings, Feijóo stated that his role was to demand that the government declare a national state of emergency. The judge believes that his testimony may clarify what information was passed to Mazón and when.
Reactions from the parties
The court’s decision not to summon Sánchez sparked lively debate among the parties involved. Representatives of Hazte Oír expressed disappointment, arguing that questioning the head of government could have clarified the chain of command and decision-making. However, the judge stood by her decision, emphasizing that the request did not serve the purposes of the investigation and would not help establish facts relevant to the case.
At the same time, the court’s attention remains focused on reconstructing the full picture of communications between regional and national authorities during this critical period. Investigators continue to analyze messages, calls, and other digital traces to understand how decisions were made and who actually influenced the course of events on the night of October 29.
