The leader of the PP, Alberto Núñez Feijóo, stated in an interview with Europa Press, when asked about the controversial purchase of the penthouse in Chamberí for 6.3 million by the Ayuso Government, that “it will be the Heritage of the Community who will have to explain why they bought a property that cannot be used as an office.” Furthermore, in the same interview, held at the PP headquarters on Génova street on August 21, the leader of the Popular Party explained that he had known since last April that the Madrid government was looking for “a property” for “a temporary relocation” of the secretariat and presidential cabinet team while renovation works were carried out at the Royal Post Office building in Puerta del Sol, the regional government’s headquarters.
“The Community of Madrid has given all the explanations it considers appropriate to clarify what happened,” Feijóo declared regarding the purchase of the penthouse, which was uncovered by EL PAÍS. After the controversial transaction was revealed, the Ayuso Government put that property up for sale with a starting price of 6.7 million euros, claiming the aim was to raise funds to pay for the reconstruction of the Sierra Oeste, after the fires that devastated the region this summer.
Feijóo pointed out that in April he was invited to an “informal” meeting with the Government of the Community of Madrid in Sol, where it was said that “renovation works” would be carried out because “there were problems” with the pipes, air conditioning, or the building’s maintenance. He insisted that at that time he was informed that they were looking for “a place” to temporarily relocate the president’s office and the six or seven positions of her “secretariat and cabinet support” during the works.
The truth is that few explanations are known so far. Planifica Madrid acquired the penthouse on April 14, and the operation is not recorded either on the transparency portal or in the company’s annual accounts. Initially, sources from her government indicated that the apartment, with five bedrooms, six bathrooms, and panoramic views of the skyline of Madrid, would be used as a temporary office for works in Sol that had not been announced, although it is speculated that, in reality, the Community of Madrid wanted to convert the penthouse into the official residence of the Presidency.
However, regulations do not allow offices to be installed there, nor is it suitable as an official residence, so barely a day after the scandal broke, it was put up for sale for 400,000 euros more than it cost. Her partner, Alberto González Amador, also put up for sale the penthouse he owns in the same neighborhood, where he lives with the president. Lawyer Javier Flores has filed a complaint with the Court of Auditors to investigate possible accounting responsibility for the misappropriation of public funds and argues that the purchase cannot be justified by works that did not even exist at the time of the award. In fact, they were awarded on August 7 without a tender and for almost 60,000 euros to Alejandra Pombo’s studio, 11 days later.
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After all the controversy, Feijóo acknowledged that he learned from the press that the penthouse finally purchased “cannot be used as an office.” And he pointed out who should clarify the matter: “It is evident that the Heritage of the Community of Madrid will have to explain why they bought a property that cannot be used as an office with the intention that an office would be located there. That is all.”
Feijóo actually points to Planifica Madrid. The regional entity was created in 1991 for land management, carrying out works, and renting its own buildings. Its corporate genealogy is somewhat complex, it has had many names and is tainted by scandal: it was born 35 years ago as Ciudad de la Imagen de Madrid S.A., then called Arproma, and later Obras de Madrid. In 2022, it adopted its current name, Planifica Madrid, Proyectos y Obras, M.P., S.A., and is the last link in a chain of public companies linked to urban planning, infrastructure, and the heritage of the Madrid Administration. It is also the heir to the former Arpegio, the historic public land company of the region, linked to major developments and marked by ongoing judicial investigations for influence peddling or embezzlement in the Púnica case.
In May 2016, the then regional president, Cristina Cifuentes (PP), announced the dissolution of Arpegio. Its powers passed to Arproma (now Planifica) and its land assets to the Community of Madrid. The name had become uncomfortable for the regional government after the National Court began investigating land reclassifications in different municipalities in which commissions allegedly intervened during the time of Francisco Granados, former right-hand man of Esperanza Aguirre. Anti-corruption placed the public company at the origin of the fortune of the former number two of the PP in Madrid and defined it as a “key company” in the plot.
The name Planifica Madrid, until now innocuous, has also become uncomfortable for the current president. The company’s management corresponds to a board of directors of nine members led by a man of utmost trust of Ayuso, Miguel Ángel García Martín, the head of the Presidency department, to which this 100% publicly owned company is attached. Its CEO since July 2023 is Pedro Corbalán Ruiz, who previously held positions in the regional administration within successive Popular Party governments. Since the penthouse purchase was uncovered, no one from Planifica has spoken about it, beyond managing the subsequent sale of the apartment. Only García Martín and Ayuso have spoken, and only when asked about it.
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