The former president of the Generalitat Carlos Mazón barely took the time to activate, on December 2, the Support Office to which the Valencian statute entitles those who have occupied the highest autonomous authority. He did so shortly after Juanfran Pérez Llorca took possession of the position that Mazón had left vacant with his resignation last November due to the management of dana 2024. Now the GVA Oberta website – on its transparency portal – announces Mazón’s first appointment, which is that of advisor and will be occupied by his former chief of staff, José Manuel Cuenca, who accompanied him during the last years of his political career.
As former Valencian president, Carlos Mazón has the right for life to an office – located in a premises in Alicante overlooking the Esplanade -, to a budget for its ordinary operations and to a car from the Generalitat’s public park. In addition, you can appoint two advisors and a driver, who will be at your disposal and will organically depend on the Presidency of the Generalitat.
The personnel who occupy these positions will be considered temporary personnel and, if the elected officials are personnel in the service of the Generalitat, they will remain in the administrative situation which legally corresponds to them. It will also be provided with a “suitable location for the installation of the office” with the budgetary contribution for its ordinary operation and a car.
José Manuel Cuenca was the shadow of former presidenthis friend, his confidant, his weekday companion from the apartment they shared, not far from the Palau de la Generalitat. And the person who spoke on behalf of the boss. Hence the relevance of his testimony on his WhatsApp calls and messages on the day of the flood and the fact that he was twice requested as a witness by the judge in charge of the investigation into the possible crimes of homicide by recklessness and negligence.
The prosecutor even designated him, when he appeared as a witness before the Catarroja judge, as “second in command” to make decisions on a day “as important” as the day of the dana, instead of a regional secretary or chief of staff.
Cuenca, as emerges from the messages exchanged on the day of the dana with the then councilor Salomé Pradas, the person who directed the emergency and investigated by the judge, served as an intermediary for the President of the Generalitat during one of the greatest disasters in the history of the Valencian Community.
Other presidents like Francisco Camps, Alberto Fabra (both of the PP) or Ximo Puig (of the PSPV-PSOE) have also made use of these prerogatives. The status of the former presidents was agreed by the parliamentary groups of the PP and PSPV-PSOE in 2002, a few days before Eduardo Zaplana left the presidency of the Generalitat to be appointed Minister of Labor by the government of José María Aznar.
Mazón has retained his status as regional deputy and occupies a seat in the back row of the popular bench, as did Francisco Camps in 2011 after his resignation. The opening of the office of its former president is known one day after the decision of the PP parliamentary group to appoint him spokesperson within the Les Corts Regulations commission, which has not met since 2020. For this reason, he will charge 624 euros more per month extra.
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