Overview

• Former regional minister Salomé Pradas filed an appeal to the Valencia Provincial Court challenging the magistrate’s refusal to dismiss the criminal investigation.
• Her defense says there was no protocol for ES‑Alert use, noting a first draft at 18:38, a technical dispute at 19:00 over potential stampede effects, and the final message sent at 20:11.
• The filing states Pradas did not author the alerts and participated only in a technical discussion that focused on potential Forata dam risks rather than the Barranco del Poyo overflow.
• The appeal alleges critical information gaps, citing a hydrological information blackout by the Júcar River Authority and a withdrawal of firefighting teams from the Poyo ravine that was not relayed to emergency command.
• Her lawyers argue the DANA was an unforeseeable force‑majeure event with no causal link to her actions and contend any liability would be administrative, as the inquiry continues.