The position of Director General of the Interior of the Generalitat Valenciana has remained vacant for three months, since Vox left the Valencian government last July. The senior position chosen by the Executive of Carlos Mazón to occupy the general direction, on which the delegated functions of the Autonomous Police (a body of approximately 400 soldiers), Civil Protection and coordination of the local police depend, between others. an expert in “bullfighting celebrations”, as announced by the Ministry of Justice and the Interior on Tuesday morning, a few hours before the catastrophic DANA.
Mazón and Councilor Salomé Pradas signed the decree appointing the new Director General of the Interior on October 29, the day of the deadly DANA attack, after deliberation by the Consell during its morning session. This is Vicente Huet Ballester, former PP mayor of Barxeta and former chief of staff of the president of the Provincial Deputation of Valencia. The decree was signed by Mazón and Pradas last Tuesday and was published in the Official Gazette of the Generalitat Valenciana the day after the disaster, to come into force on October 31.
The Ministry of Justice and the Interior explained, in statements reflected in a Europa Press teletype at 2:23 p.m. Tuesday October 29, that the new director general had been entrusted “as soon as he took office” with the task of ‘develop regulations to improve “public safety” and “animal welfare” in the “bous al carrer”. The department headed by Salomé Pradas highlighted “its knowledge of the particularities of bullfighting celebrations and, in particular, of bullfighting », According to what the regional directorate of Justice and the Interior indicated to Europa Press.
For her part, the spokesperson for the Valencian Government, Ruth Merino, referred in the press conference after the plenary session of the Consell last Tuesday to Huet’s “extensive experience” in matters of “management in public administration , mainly in local administration. Merino also clarified that the General Directorate of the Interior was “vacant” since the “latest modifications of the Consell”, in reference to the dismissal of senior officials of Vox at the Generalitat Valenciana after the departure of the ultras from the regional executive on the 11 July. .
The landing of Huet in the team of Minister Salomé Pradas completely coincides with the biggest meteorological disaster in Spain. The new Director General of the Interior occupies the position left vacant by the management post of Vox Arturo Alepuz Arrué, dismissed on July 12. Alepuz, a prison officer, held this position for almost a year, until Vox left the Valencian executive last July.
Councilor Salomé Pradas, since she took charge of the Ministry of Justice and the Interior after the renovation of the Consell, had not ensured general direction of the Interior (even during the summer months, despite the serious risk of forest fires each year throughout the country). the Valencian territory).
All this added to the situation of lack of control over the emergency policy of Mazón, who, after forming his government, entrusted this department to Vox.
Huet, a “personal bet” from Mazón
The signing of the senior official was announced on Tuesday October 29 by Esdiarioa digital media that claimed that Huet’s entry into the Valencian government was a “personal bet of President Carlos Mazón”. At 11:04 a.m. that same Tuesday, The provinces published the appointment in an information emphasizing that Huet’s mission was “to assume in particular the management of an area as sensitive as that linked to the bous al carrer”. “A matter that the Valencian government wanted to support with a specialist in the matter,” adds the information.
At 11:28 a.m. on October 29, the newspaper Elevator-EMV He also published information on the appointment of Vicente Huet, assuring that it was a “direct request from Mazón”. The news of the new Director General of the Interior even reached the website of the taurine magazine Applausewho highlighted his “knowledge of the sector” and, above all, Huet’s relationship with the municipalities of the province in matters of “bous al carrer” after his stint as chief of staff of the president of the Foral Deputation of Valencia, the popular Vicente Mompo.
The General Directorate of the Interior exercises the functions of entertainment, public establishments and recreational and socio-cultural activities and, in other matters related to the interior, public security, coordination of local police, management of the unit of the national police force assigned to the Valencian Community. and civil protection. It does so under article 12 of Law 4/2017 of February 3 of the Generalitat, which creates the Valencian Security and Emergency Response Agency.
A senior civil servant with “law studies”
A spokesperson for the Ministry of Justice and Interior confirmed to elDiario.es that Huet “will assume these functions by delegation of the regional secretary,” Emilio Argüeso. Both, according to Consell sources, are “helping” these days at the forward command post of Paiporta, precisely the town where the visit of kings Pedro Sánchez and Carlos Mazón ended on Sunday with riots and mud throwing against the highest authorities of the government. State.
Among the delegated functions of the General Directorate is the National Police Corps Unit assigned to the Valencian Community, made up of approximately 400 people. The regional police has a specific emergency response group, specialized in assistance and collaboration in rescue and evacuation, which serves as support in catastrophic situations such as floods.
Huet “studies law” and is currently on leave from a company in the sustainable packaging sector, according to the official curriculum vitae detailed by the department led by Salomé Pradas. His late integration into the team of the Ministry of Justice and the Interior adds to the chaos and lack of coordination of the response to the DANA disaster emergency.
