Valencia’s High Court has rejected a bid to indict former regional president Carlos Mazon for allegedly mismanaging the October 29, 2024 floods that killed 230 people and destroyed thousands of homes along Spain’s Mediterranean coast.
The court ruled Monday there was no evidence Mazon violated emergency management laws and found the conduct described in the investigating judge’s report did not “constitute a crime.”
Investigating judge Nuria Ruiz Tobarra had argued Mazon should be charged with negligence, saying his decision to withdraw to a private dining room during the crisis was “a decisive factor in the deadly human toll.”
The High Court said there was no “solid, objective basis” to accuse him of criminal wrongdoing. Tobarra may continue her inquiry and could submit future prosecution requests.
Mazon resigned on November 3, 2024, under pressure from across the political spectrum but remains under scrutiny.
Edited by: Alex Berry