Particle.news
Download on the App Store

Pradas and Cuenca Face Off in Valencia Court Over WhatsApp’s Role in DANA Confinement Debate

The judge ordered the rare confrontation to resolve conflicting accounts about who shaped the emergency response.

Overview

  • In the face-to-face hearing, Salomé Pradas told the judge she could not reach President Carlos Mazón at key moments and said she treated José Manuel Cuenca as an extension of the president.
  • Pradas maintained that WhatsApp messages including “Salo, de confinar nada” reflected discouragement of a population‑wide confinement, and she said she perceived “sudden persuasion” against that option.
  • Cuenca reiterated that the texts were “decontextualized,” insisted he issued no orders, and said his message about Mazón being “between acts” was not a bar on contacting the president.
  • A recent opinion from the Abogacía de la Generalitat, notified to parties this month, indicated an eventual confinement had legal support, undercutting Cuenca’s claimed legal doubts.
  • Victims’ groups rallied outside the Catarroja courthouse, heckled both participants, and a protester struck Cuenca with a banner as he left; the court will now weigh the careo and documentary evidence to determine next steps.