María Rita Barberá Nolla (16 July 1948 – 23 November 2016) was a Spanish politician who was the mayor of Valencia from 1991 until 2015.

As such, she became answerable only to the Supreme Court, and the ordinary judge in charge of the Taula corruption case could therefore not indict her like the rest of her team.

[4] On 13 September 2016 the Supreme Court opened a formal investigation, usually the step before an indictment, and the People's Party asked her to resign her senate seat.

[7] Barberá died in Madrid on 23 November 2016 of a heart attack as a result of hepatic cirrhosis.

She was in the process of being investigated for money laundering at the time, and had testified to the Supreme Court only two days prior to her death.