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Court rejects move to indict Valencia leader over floods

Louis Oelofse with AFP, EFE
March 16, 2026

Carlos Mazon, president of the Valencia regional government, is facing scrutiny over his handling of floods in late October 2024 that killed more than 200 people.

https://p.dw.com/p/5AV58
People remove mud on the road, following heavy rains that caused floods, in Paiporta, near Valencia, Spain on November 4, 2024
Many residents said the government's warnings came too late to allow victims to prepare, and that the response to the floods had been too slow [FILE: November 4, 2024]Image: Eva Manez/REUTERS

Valencia's High Court has rejected a bid to indict former regional president Carlos Mazon for allegedly mismanaging the 2024 floods that killed hundreds of people.

The court ruled Monday that there was no evidence Mazon violated emergency management laws.

The October 29, 2024, floods killed 230 people and destroyed thousands of homes along Spain's Mediterranean coast, becoming Spain's deadliest natural disaster in decades.

Mazon resigned on November 3 last year under pressure from across the political spectrum but remains under scrutiny.

Rallies in Spain mark anniversary of catastrophic floods

Option for future prosecution still open

Investigating judge Nuria Ruiz Tobarra had argued that 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, however, said there was no "solid, objective basis" to accuse him of any criminal wrongdoing and found the conduct outlined in Tobarra's report did not "constitute a crime."

Tobarra may continue her inquiry and submit future prosecution requests.

Spain: One year after the floods in Valencia

Edited by: Alex Berry

Louis Oelofse | News and Current Affairs
Louis Oelofse DW writer and editor