The steps of the President of the Valencian Government, Carlos Mazón, continue to be the main unknown a year after the tragic disaster that left 229 dead on October 29. On the day of the biggest catastrophe in the recent history of the Valencian Community, which the State Meteorological Agency (Aemet) had been warning about days before and when hundreds of people were already trapped by the floods, Carlos Mazón was eating at El Ventorro, a well-known restaurant in the center of Valencia specializing in chops, with the journalist Maribel Vilaplana.
Reviewing Mazón's archives of everything surrounding the lunch they had gives an idea of the accumulation of lies and lies that the parties have given about it, one of the reasons why the Catarroja judge investigating the management of the flood has summoned Vilaplana to testify as a witness on November 3, at the request of the Valencia Court.
“Private meal”
Thus, a few days after the damage, elDiario.es reported that Mazón, after the meeting he held with the employers' association and the unions to address the regional budgets, was absent from the Palau de la Generalitat to attend a mysterious meal. In that meeting, Mazón already commented that there were two hydrological alerts in the Magro River and in the Poyo ravine, details that have recently become known thanks to the videos recorded by Spanish Television. The head of the Consell also criticized the University of Valencia for having suspended its activity a day earlier.
Regarding the agape, the Presidency initially tried to hide the restaurant in which it was held, the identity of the diners and the time slots. To avoid giving details, they framed it as a private, personal meal, like that of any other citizen.
“Working lunch”
However, in response to insistent questions from this editorial team and the rest of the media, the first version change occurred on November 7. At the entrance to the L'Eliana Emergency Center, the president stated that he was having “a working lunch.”
From his team, they were already trying to convey that “the president was in the Palau de la Generalitat working and informed punctually and it was when he was informed of the risk of breaking the Forata dam that he physically and immediately joined the Cecopi meeting”, a version that a year later does not hold up.
“Until after 5:00 p.m., first. Until 6:00 p.m., then”
A day later, on November 8, this newspaper was able to confirm that the meal took place at the El Ventorro restaurant with the journalist Maribel Vilaplana, with the supposed objective of offering her the address of À Punt. At that first moment, those around him maintained that it lasted “until after 5:00 p.m.” This contrasted with the version from other sources that explained that the meal would have lasted until 6 p.m., when in the Utiel-Requena region the dana was already causing havoc.
Given all this information, both the PSPV and Compromís requested the food bill in Las Corts with the aim of checking, among other things, if the time slots coincided with the different versions.
“Party food”
At that moment, there was a new lurch with the aim of not making the document public. Thus, the official version was changed again and it was argued that Mazón attended the meal as president of the PPCV, and not as president of the Generalitat. Something incompatible with the offer from the management of public television.
With the mystery of the meal revealed, although with the doubts of his time slot to be resolved, one of Mazón's most blatant lies related to the hours of his whereabouts that afternoon came to light. Four months later and in response to the judge's questions about the identity of the political authorities who were at the Integrated Operational Coordination Center (Cecopi), he acknowledged that he arrived at the Emergency Center where the meeting was being held at 8:28 p.m., 17 minutes after the first Es-Alert was sent. Until that moment, the official version was that he left El Ventorro (at 5:30 p.m. according to the Vilaplana area and after 6:00 p.m. according to other sources), he went to the Palau de la Generalitat, and after 7:00 p.m. he moved to the Cecopi.
Between 6:30 p.m. and 6:45 p.m.
All these version changes have only undermined the already battered credibility of the head of the Consell and his team. Especially since on September 5, journalist Maribel Vilaplana published a letter telling her version of the events in which she finally stated that she left the restaurant between 6:30 p.m. and 6:45 p.m., almost an hour later than what had initially been said, a time in which many Valencians were trying to get safe from the lethal flood.
“Straight to the Palau”
Despite this development, the president's team has tried to convey to public opinion that it does not discredit what was stated in recent months, that is, that the restaurant went directly to the Palau de la Generalitat to follow the evolution of the dana. This was stated recently by Mazón in at least four interviews published in recent days. However, this extreme does not correspond to reality either.
Arrival at the Palau shortly before 8:00 p.m.
As elDiario.es has revealed in the documentary 'Where was Mazón?' and in later information, even two eyewitnesses affirm that they saw the head of the Consell arrive at the Palau de la Generalitat shortly before 8:00 p.m. One of them claims that he arrived already changed clothes. This version, which the Presidency denies, has later also been pointed out by other media such as The Country y Levante-EMV.
Directly to the Palau, but passing through the parking lot
The documentary also includes a police source familiar with the work of the bodyguards who assures that Mazón was able to stop by his house before going to the Palau. Added to all this is that, as progress has been made Levante-EMV and sources from around Vilaplana have confirmed that after leaving the restaurant Mazón accompanied her to her vehicle, which was parked in the La Glorieta parking lot, located next to the Plaza de Tetuán, that is, two minutes from the restaurant. Until his arrival at the Palau at almost 8:00 p.m., there is still a gap of one hour in which Mazón's whereabouts are officially unknown. Between 6:59 p.m. and 7:34 p.m. he does not make or answer any calls.