Mazón Perjury Allegations
PSOE Files Complaint Against Mazón at Supreme Court for False Testimony in DANA Inquiry
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The Valencian Socialist Party (PSPV-PSOE) filed a criminal lawsuit against former regional president Carlos Mazón at Spain's Supreme Court on June 30, 2026, accusing him of perjury before the Congressional Investigative Commission on the 2024 DANA disaster, according to EFE. The 14-page complaint centers on seven specific lies Mazón allegedly told under oath on November 17, 2025 — contradicted by WhatsApp messages and witness testimony.
The DANA storm struck Valencia on October 29, 2024, killing 230 people. Mazón, who has since resigned as regional president but keeps his seat as a deputy, is protected by
Seven Alleged Lies at the Heart of the Lawsuit
The lawsuit's most damaging claim involves WhatsApp messages from 8:15 AM on the day of the disaster. According to Cadena SER, those messages show Mazón ordering ministers to "inundate the media with data" to give a "feeling of being alert as hell" — hours before he testified he even knew a crisis was unfolding. That directly contradicts his sworn statement that he was unaware of the severity until the afternoon.
The lawsuit also flags a disputed call log Mazón handed to the commission. La Vanguardia reported it allegedly includes calls to PP national leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo that never happened, while omitting a key 8:19 PM call to his own Interior Minister, Salomé Pradas. Separately, witness Maribel Vilaplana — the journalist who lunched with Mazón that day — gave judicial testimony that contradicts his claimed timeline for returning to the emergency coordination center (CECOPI), according to Antena 3.
The Lunch, the Parking Lot, and a Sports Document
While floodwaters were rising across Valencia around 3:00 PM, Mazón was at a restaurant called "El Ventorro" signing an administrative document about elite athletes, according to Antena 3. He testified he left directly for the Palau de la Generalitat. Witnesses say he instead walked Vilaplana to a parking lot first, further delaying his arrival at the emergency center.
Mazón also claimed his team faced an "information blackout" from national agencies. But internal messages reviewed in the "Catarroja Case" — an ongoing judicial investigation — show his staff received real-time flooding updates as early as 11:30 AM, according to Cadena SER. The lawsuit further states he knew people were dying in Utiel and other areas hours before he told the commission he learned of fatalities.
Socialists Say Lying to Parliament Is a Crime, Not Just Politics
PSPV-PSOE Secretary General Diana Morant put it plainly: "Lying to the public is one thing, but lying to a state institution is a crime that cannot go unpunished," according to Europa Press. The charge — false testimony before a parliamentary commission under Article 502.3 of Spain's Penal Code — carries a sentence of six months to one year in prison, plus possible disqualification from public office.
Victims' associations held protests in Paiporta on June 28, two days before the filing, demanding an end to Mazón's legal immunity, RTVE reported. A motion in the Valencian parliament to voluntarily strip that immunity is expected in coming weeks, though it currently lacks a majority. Meanwhile, 71% of Valencians believed Mazón should have resigned immediately after the disaster, according to a poll cited by El País.
Supreme Court Must Now Decide Whether to Admit the Case
Because Mazón holds a seat in the Corts Valencianes, he has "aforamiento" — a legal status that means only Spain's Supreme Court can investigate or try him. The court's criminal chamber must now decide if there are "sufficient indications" to admit the lawsuit. If it does, Mazón will be formally summoned as a suspect, a step that would mark a dramatic escalation from political controversy to criminal proceedings.
The PP, which replaced Mazón with Juanfran Pérez Llorca as regional president earlier in 2026, has largely avoided defending him directly. Some party members dismissed the lawsuit as a "political circus," according to Valencia Plaza. The PP's polling in Valencia has actually recovered since Mazón's departure, reaching 31.9% in a June 2026 Sigma Dos survey. Public trust in Valencian institutions, however, remains at a historic low.
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