Madrid to Sell €6.3 Million Penthouse Bought as a Temporary Government Workspace

A €6.3 million penthouse purchased by Madrid’s regional government as a supposed temporary workspace has become the focus of a widening political dispute—and is now set to be sold. The property, located in the affluent Chamberí district, was bought in April, according to reporting by El País cited by The Guardian. A regional government spokesperson said it was intended for Isabel Díaz Ayuso, the president of the Madrid region, to use while offices at the Real Casa de Correos were being renovated. The purchase attracted scrutiny after its price became public and it emerged that planning rules allowed the apartment to be used only as a residence, not as an office. The government had reportedly requested a property measuring between 250 and 400 square metres with a large terrace, a specification critics have questioned in connection with an administrative workspace. Ayuso has said the penthouse was not bought as a home but as a location for institutional meetings. She has also said she was unaware of the purchase, describing the disclosures initially as a smear campaign. Her explanation has been complicated by comments from Alberto Núñez Feijóo, leader of Ayuso’s People’s party. Feijóo said Ayuso’s team had told him in April that it was seeking temporary offices, while also saying the regional government department involved still needed to explain why it bought a property that could not legally function as an office. The regional government has announced that it will sell the apartment and donate the proceeds to victims of wildfires near Madrid. Ayuso has said she considers the matter closed, but the controversy continues. A judge in Madrid is investigating five complaints connected with the purchase. Spain’s central government has called Ayuso’s explanations insufficient and worrying, while political opponents have demanded her resignation. The dispute also carries potential electoral consequences. Pablo Simón, a political scientist at Madrid’s Carlos III University, told The Guardian that the lack of clear explanations and the judicial investigation had damaged Ayuso politically. He said the issue was unlikely to prevent her from winning another term, but could cost her the absolute majority and require an agreement with the far-right Vox party.