The congressional commission investigating the administration of Dana on October 29, 2024, which caused the death of 229 people in the province of Valencia, receives on Monday José Manuel Cuenca, the chief of staff of the former regional president Carlos Mazón, and the then Minister of Education, Culture, Universities and Employment, José Antonio Rovira.
Cuenca was not with Mazzone on that disastrous day because he had traveled to Chativa for a personal matter, but he was in contact with him and then Emergency Minister Salome Pradas, who was indicted by the judge investigating the management of the tragedy.
Mazzone’s “right-hand man”, with whom he shares an apartment in the Valencian capital and who also serves as the state’s regional communications secretary, suggested that Mazzone have lunch with journalist Maribel Villaplana to offer him the direction of Á Punt, the regional television. He wasn’t at El Venturo, but he knew the president would be dining there.
Mazzone warned of problems at UTIEL
The investigating judge in the El Dana administration summoned him as a witness on November 26 to question him about his contacts with Mazzone and Prada. As he explained in court, minutes before 5 p.m. On the day of the flood, the regional chief reported via WhatsApp that the situation was getting more complicated in Otel.
Cuenca told the judge that he had his first conversation with Pradas at 1:19 p.m. She asked him to inform Mazzone that, under State of Emergency No. 1, he would travel to the Ribeira Alta region. He spoke to her again at 4:48 p.m. The former chancellor told him that she was going to a hotel, where the Military Emergency Unit (UME) was deployed.
After this conversation, at 4:56 p.m., there was another call between the two in which Cuenca asked if it was possible to reach Auteuil by car to approach and make an initial assessment, but the former advisor told him that it was not possible.
Minutes later, Cuenca contacted Mazzone via WhatsApp to inform him that Cecopi was starting and that the situation at Utiel had become complicated. The “Chief” replied that it was “excellent” and that he intended to go there after Sekopi.
Only the University of Valencia has suspended classes
Education Minister José Antonio Rovira will also appear in Congress on Monday to find out, among other things, why classes have not been suspended in the province of Valencia despite the red alert issued by the state meteorological agency (Aemet) on October 29.
Last January, in Valencia’s Cortes, Rovira admitted that after the council meeting on October 29, he went to San Vicente (Alicante) because he had “things” to do there, and by that time Emmett was “saying that the storm was heading to Cuenca.”
The opposition in Valencia is asking him to explain why classes in the community have not been suspended, as the University of Valencia did in response to the rain alert issued by Emmet and also because of the death of a worker who worked in a school in Masanasa affected by the flood.
The Minister of Education explained at the time that he was not aware of the university authorities’ decision to suspend studies on October 29 because the University of Valencia is “independent.”
Villaplana Find out more
On Monday afternoon, after these appearances, the committee headed by socialist Carmen Martínez Ramírez will meet to determine the new appearances and there Somar announced that he would request the summons of journalist Maribel Villaplana, who ate for hours with Mazón on Day of Dana.
Somar’s commissioners believe the journalist lied to the judge, as they consider it “impossible” that the journalist did not hear Mazzone’s calls when they shared a booth in El Ventoro, and they suspect Villaplana knows more than he is letting on about those hours before the alert was delayed.