Mazón was informed almost two hours before his meal ended that the situation in Utiel "was getting complicated"

José Manuel Cuenca, the chief of staff for the acting president of the Generalitat, informed Carlos Mazón that "the situation was getting complicated" in Utiel almost two hours before his meal ended, at 16:56. The head of the Consell replied "perfect" and said he would coordinate with the Interior Minister, Salomé Pradas, to go to Utiel "after" the Cecopi meeting. This is one of the main revelations from Cuenca's testimony before the Catarroja judge, which began at 9:30 am this Wednesday.

In his testimony, Cuenca explained that the intention was always for Mazón to go to Utiel. He indicated that from early morning, the president told his closest circle to stay alert due to the red alert. At 16:48, Cuenca spoke with Pradas because he saw that the Cecopi meeting was going to be convened, and in that call, the minister told him that the Military Emergency Unit (UME) was deployed. At 16:56, there was another call where Cuenca asked Pradas if it was possible to access Utiel. She said no. Minutes later, he contacted Mazón via WhatsApp and told him that the situation in Utiel "was getting complicated." The president said perfect and that he would communicate with the minister to go after the Cecopi meeting.

Cuenca also assured, in his capacity as the organizer of the president's agenda, that it was never considered for Mazón to attend the Cecopi meeting. "Salomé kept us informed through specialized communication," he said. The intention was always for the president to travel to Utiel, but the impossibility of doing so delayed the plans. The judge asked Cuenca about a call from Pradas at 18:25. He did not answer it and later returned the call, but the minister told him that Miguel Polo, the president of the Júcar Hydrographic Confederation, was going to intervene in the Cecopi meeting, and they could not talk.

At 19:41, Mazón called Cuenca. He told him he was trying to return to Valencia (he spent the night in Carlet after being unable to travel from Alzira). "When you get to Valencia, go to l'Eliana, as I am going with (advisor Josep) Lanuza and heading to l'Eliana because there is a big problem with the metro according to (the regional secretary of Infrastructure, Francisco Javier) Sendra," Cuenca assured that Mazón told him. The judge also inquired Cuenca about a call from the director-general of the President's Secretariat, Pilar Montes, with Mazón, but he did not know what they talked about. Cuenca's intention was for Mazón to go to Utiel early the next morning.

Cuenca also revealed that shortly after 18:00, Pradas sent him a WhatsApp message (which he does not have because he changed his phone this summer) asking about the lockdown, which was being considered in the Cecopi meeting due to the possibility of Forata collapsing. This happened "at 18 and something," according to the senior official's account before the magistrate. "I do not know Salomé's competence, whether it is ours or the Delegation's, I am a journalist, so I referred her to Cayetano (García, regional secretary of the Presidency), who is the person who can legally resolve the doubt," he indicated. Cuenca denied talking to her about the ES-Alert, nor did he discuss it with Mazón. "The management of the emergency is technical, not political, I could not do anything at that level," he said.