The Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office for the Region of Murcia, led by José Luis Díaz Manzanera, is examining whether the Murcia City Council bears criminal or civil liability in the Atalayas fire incident, which claimed thirteen lives on October 1.
Public Ministry sources confirmed this on the same day to La Opinión. The City Council’s Board of Directors approved the same approach, and the judicial process mirrors that stance.
The president of Murcia Instruction Court No. 3 has assumed responsibility for the case and the investigation. The inquiry targets thirteen potential crimes, including murder due to negligence, with prosecutors assessing the legal and criminal liability of the Murcia Municipal Council in the handling of building permits for facilities that should have been closed on the morning of the tragedy. Although Ballesta’s administration has seen several officials tied to the Teatre nightclub closure case dismissed, there have been no political resignations from either the current party, which holds an absolute majority, or from councillors who served under the previous administration led by a socialist, José Antonio Serrano.
With investigations just beginning, Díaz Manzanera is expected to summon not only city officials but also politicians from both the current and prior administrations to testify. It remains unclear whether they will appear before the prosecution as witnesses or as investigated persons. Documents are currently under review, according to the same sources.
“Clear indicators” against the City Council
Relatives of four of the thirteen victims of the Atalayas fire have written to the judge overseeing the case, urging that the Murcia City Council not be allowed to join the ongoing court proceedings. They emphasize that procedural conditions may diverge in ways that contradict the core charges.
The relatives, represented by attorney José Manuel Muñoz, argue that the Council’s position on the current summary procedure is a matter of serious procedural risk. As the investigation progresses, it may emerge that members of the City Council could come under scrutiny due to their presumed roles, a development that would be entirely incompatible with the present accusation.
In their letter to the judge, the relatives insist on clear and precise indicators of the City Council’s responsibility in establishing the facts. They also call for the specification of the signs that determine degrees of participation and responsibility to be the focus of the ongoing investigation.