Madrid government's €6.3m 'temporary office' turns out to be a luxury penthouse
Madrid regional leader Isabel Díaz Ayuso faces mounting pressure to explain why her government spent €6.3m on a penthouse apartment officially bought as temporary office space. A judge is now investigating the purchase, and the property has been put up for sale.
Isabel Díaz Ayuso, president of the Madrid region since 2019 and a leading figure in Spain's conservative People's Party, is under scrutiny over a costly property deal made by her administration. In April, the regional government bought a penthouse apartment in Madrid's upmarket Chamberí neighbourhood for €6.3m, officially describing it as temporary workspace while Ayuso's usual offices at the Real Casa de Correos undergo renovation.
It later emerged that planning regulations only permit the property to be used for residential purposes, not as an office. According to newspaper El País, the government's stated requirements for the property included a size of 250 to 400 square metres and a large terrace — an unusual specification for office space.
Ayuso initially dismissed the reports as a smear campaign, insisting the flat was intended for institutional meetings rather than as her residence, and claiming she had no knowledge of the purchase. The regional government has since announced the flat will be sold, with proceeds donated to victims of this summer's wildfires near Madrid.
The controversy has continued, however, with a Madrid judge now investigating five separate complaints related to the purchase. Alberto Núñez Feijóo, leader of the People's Party, said the relevant regional department needed to explain why a property unsuitable for office use had been bought, even as he said he was satisfied with Ayuso's own explanations. Feijóo also said Ayuso's team had told him in April they were searching for temporary offices, seemingly contradicting her claim of ignorance about the deal.
Spain's central government and opposition Socialist figures have called the explanations inadequate and called for Ayuso's resignation. Political scientist Pablo Simón said the lack of clarity, combined with the judicial investigation, has damaged Ayuso politically, though it is unlikely to cost her victory in next year's regional election. It could, however, cost her an absolute majority, potentially forcing her into a coalition with the far-right Vox party.
