Prosecutor backs Mazón's intervention in DANA case

Spain's Public Prosecutor's Office supports former president Carlos Mazón joining the DANA flood investigation as a party. It argues that denying this would violate his right to defense. Prosecutor Cristóbal Melgarejo's report urges approval of Mazón's appeal.

Prosecutor Cristóbal Melgarejo issued a report backing former Valencian president Carlos Mazón's request to intervene as a party in the DANA probe led by judge Nuria Ruiz Tobarra. This follows the Superior Court of Justice of the Valencian Community (TSJ-CV) dismissing criminal indications against Mazón and summoning him only as a witness.

The Public Prosecutor's Office states that rejecting the intervention "would violate the appellant's right to defense", barring access to proceedings and participation in inquiries. Melgarejo notes these rights stand independently of investigated status, pointing to Mazón's seat as a deputy in Les Corts Valencianes for the Partido Popular.

The filing highlights pending steps, including recovering deleted messages between Mazón and his chief of staff, José Manuel Cuenca, through a rogatory commission to WhatsApp. These may probe Mazón's role in the DANA emergency management.

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Courtroom illustration depicting defenses demanding dismissal in Begoña Gómez case ahead of jury trial.
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Defenses seek dismissal of Begoña Gómez case ahead of potential jury trial

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Judge Juan Carlos Peinado informed parties in the Begoña Gómez case that any trial would be before a jury. Defenses for the wife of the Spanish prime minister, her advisor Cristina Álvarez, and businessman Juan Carlos Barrabés demanded dismissal of the case, as did the prosecution. Accusing parties called for further inquiries.

Thousands took to the streets of Valencia on Saturday demanding that former Generalitat president Carlos Mazón lose his immunity as a deputy and be held accountable for the DANA floods management in October 2024. The protest, under the slogan 'Mazón a presó', follows recent court rulings rejecting his investigation but summoning him as a witness. Victims' associations vow to continue their fight for 'truth, justice and reparation'.

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Carmen Martínez (PSOE), chair of the Congress commission investigating the DANA crisis management, expelled PP spokesman César Sánchez on Monday after three warnings during a session.

Víctor de Aldama, key businessman in the masks plot, testified on Wednesday in Spain's Supreme Court that the PSOE was illegally financed with cash from construction firms and that Pedro Sánchez knew about it. Ábalos and Koldo García recruited him to collect funds, according to his statement. The testimony is part of the masks case trial but addresses a secret probe at the National Court.

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Retired Commissioner Manuel Vázquez, former UDEF head, testified Tuesday in the National Court that he was not informed of the Kitchen operation's spying on Luis Bárcenas during the Gürtel probe. He denied pressuring Inspector Manuel Morocho to alter reports on Bárcenas' papers. His testimony bolsters the prosecution's view that Kitchen was a parallel operation.

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