Pedro Sánchez referred this Monday to the controversy that has been damaging the image of the Madrid president, Isabel Díaz Ayuso, for a month: the apartment acquired by the Community of Madrid for 6.3 million euros, for Ayuso’s use as a temporary “office,” despite the property only being allowed to be used as a residence. “What it seems is that this lady wanted to buy herself a penthouse with the money of the Madrilenians to live in it and she got caught,” the head of the Government replied with a confrontational tone when asked about it in an interview on Cadena SER.
Sánchez has reproached the Popular Party for not demanding accountability from Ayuso for the purchase of this penthouse with public money. “It has a serious problem. (…) First, transparency, and secondly, accountability and demand for responsibility,” he criticized. Then he directly pointed to the popular leader, Alberto Núñez Feijóo, and demanded that he take action: “Those demands, as has also happened to me when unfortunately we have suffered corruption cases in my party, must be applied by the leader of the opposition.”
The president of the Government recalled that Feijóo knew about the existence of the penthouse since April, as he himself detailed. The PP leader explained that in an “informal” meeting with the Madrid Government it was said that the Sol headquarters was going to be remodeled and they were looking for “a place” to move the office of the president and the closest members of her cabinet. “This lady,” referring to Ayuso, “says she didn’t know anything. He knew and she didn’t.” With this argument, Sánchez insisted that it is “a penthouse with the money of the Madrilenians and without applying the housing law, because what the lady needs is a large apartment of 400 square meters and 200 of terrace.”
He also took the opportunity to criticize the different attitude of the magistrates in various judicial cases: “The judges don’t pursue them, because there are logically doubts about the speed in some cases and I think this is quite evident.” Something that connects, in his opinion, with “the feeling of impunity with which some right-wing leaders act.” This very Monday, Más Madrid has denounced before the Court of Auditors the purchase of the penthouse in the Chamberí district. The party led by Mónica García has requested an investigation into whether there has been a loss of public funds in the operation, as it points to the possible absence of sufficient public need to acquire the property.
“Sánchez lies”
The first reactions from the Government of the Community of Madrid have not been long in coming. Ayuso’s Chief of Staff accused Sánchez of “lying” in a message published a few hours after Sánchez’s statements on his X social network account. “Sánchez, as usual, lies: the Community of Madrid never bought a residence for the president. So they haven’t caught her, as he says. Who they have caught is his wife doing dirty business. And that’s why she will be judged. That is brutal: they go ahead,” wrote Miguel Ángel Rodríguez.
Sánchez, as usual, lies: the Community of Madrid never bought a residence for the president. So they haven’t caught her, as he says. Who they have caught is his wife doing dirty business. And that’s why she will be judged. That is brutal: they go ahead
— MÁR (@marodriguezb) August 31, 2026
The Madrid councilor for Housing, Transport and Infrastructure, Jorge Rodrigo, called it “pathetic” that the president of the Government criticizes the regional Executive for the purchase of the penthouse, considering that “enough explanations” have already been given. “He has been on vacation all August and now he comes and wants to get at the president of the Community of Madrid, something that is totally impressive and says a lot about how rude he is,” Rodrigo said. For his part, the councilor for Culture, Tourism and Sports, Mariano de Paco Serrano, replied to Sánchez that he “arrives late” with his criticisms, because, as Rodrigo also said, “all explanations” have already been offered.
Read more The COP17 ends: The United States has been the main obstacle of the summit
