Catalan court investigates disappearance of key messages after widespread flooding, raising urgent questions and unexpected twists

A high-profile investigation in Valencia has once again drawn attention to issues of transparency and government accountability. The Catalonia court is seeking to recover deleted messages from the former chief of staff to the president of the autonomous region, which could alter the course of the case involving the October 2024 tragedy. The court’s decision could impact how officials are perceived during crises and set new standards for probing similar disasters.

A judge from Catarroja, Catalonia, has filed international requests to the messaging platforms WhatsApp and Telegram to access correspondence that disappeared from the phone of the former chief of staff to President Carlos Mazón. This move came after it was found that the high-ranking official, José Manuel Cuenca, fully formatted his work-issued iPhone 14 Pro Max before returning it in January, erasing all data, including messages sent on the day of the catastrophic flood on October 29, 2024.

Search for evidence

Judicial authorities have sent a European investigation order to Telegram’s headquarters in Brussels and an official request for legal assistance to WhatsApp’s office in the United States. The aim is to recover deleted messages between Cuenca and key figures in the regional government, including former Justice and Interior Minister Salomé Pradas, ex-Director of Emergency Services Emilio Argüeso, and former secretary of the autonomous government Cayetano García.

Cuenca, who was dismissed in December by the new regional head, explained the disappearance of the data by a change of operator. However, despite the court's demand to provide the SIM card for analysis, technical specialists were unable to recover its contents. These messages are considered crucial for understanding the authorities' actions at the height of the crisis and could challenge the official version of events.

Role in the crisis

During court interrogations, Cuenca insisted he played only a minor role in managing the emergency, presenting himself as a journalist. However, notarized messages provided by former advisor Pradas point to his active involvement in decision-making. In one message, Cuenca urged calm and asked not to impose additional restrictions at the height of the tragedy.

The court also called as witnesses police officers who worked in the Emergency Coordination Center (Cecopi) on the day of the disaster. This center was responsible for deciding on mass alerts sent to mobile phones, which, according to the judge, could have saved lives had they been sent earlier.

Investigation details

Employees of the Buseo dam in Chera (Chera, Valencia) were among the witnesses. The judge rejected the petition to expand the investigation to the Júcar River Hydrographic Confederation (CHJ), as well as any possible link to the tragedy at the Forata dam in Yátova (Yátova, Valencia), despite speculation that its breach could have caused thousands of victims. The court’s decision emphasized the lack of a direct connection between these events and the deaths of 230 people as a result of the flooding.

Recovering deleted messages could shed light on the real actions and decisions of regional authorities at a critical moment. The results of the investigation may influence future approaches to emergency management and officials’ accountability in Spain.

In recent years, Spain has faced several high-profile investigations related to the deletion or concealment of digital data by officials. Such incidents have already led to revised protocols for storing official information and tighter control over communications within government bodies. After the Murcia flood in 2022, questions also arose regarding the timeliness of alerts and the actions of responsible officials. These events underscore the importance of transparency and preserving digital records for objective analysis of crisis situations.