Prosecutors ask Audiencia de València to take jurisdiction over Mazón-linked gota fría documents

Valencia prosecutors on May 14 filed a brief supporting former Valencian regional president Carlos Mazón’s bid to identify documents he wants sent to the Audiencia de València for his appeal in the criminal case over the October 29, 2024 floods. The request concerns the investigation being run by the Catarroja court into the handling of the disaster, known in Spain as the dana or gota fría, and Mazón’s separate effort to be admitted as a party to the proceedings. Prosecutors said he should be allowed to designate documents for that appeal even though the investigating judge has refused to let him join the case. The filing adds a new procedural dispute to a case that has already moved between the Catarroja court, the Audiencia de València and the Valencian High Court. ### Which documents is Mazón trying to get before the Audiencia? Carlos Mazón asked the court to let him designate “particulares” — specific documents, records or pieces of the file — to support his appeal against the judge’s refusal to let him appear in the case as a party, according to Europa Press and prior reports on his appeal. The Catarroja judge had rejected that step, arguing that specific items could not be designated because Mazón does not have access to the proceedings after being denied standing. (europapress.es) The Audiencia de València is the appellate court hearing challenges to rulings made by the investigating court. Mazón’s appeal there seeks either admission as a party or, according to reports on his April 10 filing, the annulment of investigative steps adopted after the judge rejected his request to join the case. (europapress.es) ### What did prosecutors tell the court on May 14? The public prosecutor’s office said in its May 14 brief that Mazón’s request should be accepted so he can identify documentation to support his appeal before the Audiencia de València. Europa Press reported that prosecutors said the designation would have to be made “de forma genérica,” because Mazón cannot review the file’s contents while he remains outside the proceedings. (europapress.es) That position follows an earlier prosecutorial filing backing Mazón’s broader appeal to be allowed into the case. In that earlier submission, prosecutors argued that the investigation includes steps with an impact on Mazón’s role in the emergency response and that he should therefore be allowed to participate in the proceedings, according to VilaWeb, El Mundo, EFE and other Spanish media. (europapress.es) ### Why is Mazón outside the case if the investigation touches on his role? On April 10, Mazón appealed after Judge Nuria Ruiz Tobarra of Catarroja refused to let him personarse — formally appear as a party — in the flood case. The judge had held that his procedural position was that of a witness, not an investigated person or injured party, and said that status did not entitle him to full access to the file. (vilaweb.cat) On March 24, the same judge summoned Mazón to testify as a witness. Earlier, prosecutors had told the Valencian High Court that they did not then see sufficiently solid indications to justify imputing him, while also saying they did not rule out possible criminal responsibility and that the lower court should keep investigating. (europapress.es) ### How does this fit into the wider flood investigation? The Catarroja court is investigating the management of the October 29, 2024 dana, one of Spain’s deadliest recent natural disasters. El País reported that 228 people died in the flooding in Valencia province. The procedural fight over Mazón’s status has unfolded alongside arguments over whether investigative steps that bear on his conduct should remain in the case. (vilaweb.cat) On May 5, reporting on a court order said the judge asked prosecutors to clarify whether they wanted such steps maintained or revoked after a fiscal filing that referred to measures amounting in practice to an indirect investigation of Mazón’s participation. (elpais.com) On May 11, several outlets reported that prosecutors backed keeping those steps. ### What happens next in the Catarroja and Audiencia courts? The next step is for the Catarroja court to decide whether Mazón may designate the documents to be transmitted with his appeal to the Audiencia de València. If the court accepts the prosecutor’s position, the appellate judges would receive the material Mazón identifies in support of his challenge to the refusal to let him join the case. (elespanol.com) The Audiencia de València is already handling multiple appeals tied to the flood investigation, and the Valencian High Court has also intervened on issues involving Mazón’s potential criminal exposure. Any new ruling on his procedural status or on the documents attached to his appeal would come through those same courts. (poderjudicial.es) (europapress.es)