This measure, notified to the parties last Friday, responds to the Ministry's announcement not to maintain the reinforcements that expire on June 30. In the case of the Catarroja courts, this decision implies the elimination of four of the five existing reinforcement positions, leaving only one.
“"This suppression will inevitably lead to a great delay in the investigation, considering that the legal secretary (LAJ) and the officials whose positions are being eliminated have been working on this case since March 26, 2025, and are therefore familiar with the procedure, functioning as a team."
Magistrate Ruiz Tobarra emphasized that the DANA case still has a significant number of pending proceedings, including 109 witness statements, in addition to offers of action to victims and statements related to deaths and injuries, totaling around 50. Call, message, and video comparisons are also carried out by the LAJ.
In addition to the staff shortage, the judge pointed out the insufficiency of material resources. The Instruction Court 3 of Catarroja must share the courtroom with other courts, and the recording equipment and the number of courtrooms at the judicial headquarters are "clearly insufficient" to manage a case of the DANA's complexity with the necessary speed. The Ministry of Justice has decided not to extend 200 reinforcement positions in judicial bodies, prosecutors' offices, and legal medicine institutes across the Valencian Community.
