Spain’s Supreme Court on Wednesday dismissed complaints accusing Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez and six of his ministers of criminal negligence in connection to last year’s deadly floods in Valencia.

The court said there was no evidence that the prime minister was criminally liable for the disaster in which 228 people died. The ruling similarly clears European Commission Executive Vice President Teresa Ribera, who at the time of the floods was Sánchez’s deputy prime minister and who was among the Cabinet members named in the suits.

In the aftermath of the Oct. 29, 2024 tragedy, authorities determined that a warning message from the Valencia regional government had been sent too late for many who found themselves trapped in low-lying homes as the floodwaters rose. Uncontrolled urban development in the region was also blamed for channeling rainwater that overwhelmed communities built in vulnerable locations. 

While expressing empathy with the plaintiffs who pursued legal action following the tragedy, the justices noted that criminal negligence accusations must be supported by evidence demonstrating “an abstract neglect of the victims.” The ruling also stressed that such cases cannot be based on evaluations of “discretionary decision-making” by the prime minister.

Citing jurisdictional limits, the Supreme Court declined to rule on similar legal complaints filed against Valencian President Carlos Mazón, who has been criticized for downplaying the threat posed by the storms that sparked the disaster. The ruling noted that a judicial probe is ongoing in Catarroja, one of the towns worst-hit by the floods, and that the judge in charge of that investigation is best-positioned to determine whether the catastrophe was mishandled.

The official response to one of the deadliest climate disasters in European history remains a major political issue in Spain. The center-right opposition People’s Party, which governs in Valencia, has sought to shield Mazón and other officials from criticism by attempting to shift blame onto Sánchez and other national figures.

The Supreme Court’s latest ruling undermines that narrative, as does the judicial probe in Catarroja, which has so far pointed to negligence on the part of officials in Valencia’s regional government.

While national figures like the head of Spain’s national weather service have been cleared of wrongdoing, last March Salomé Pradas, the former head of the region’s emergency services, was placed under formal investigation for her role in the crisis.