Madrid government faces scrutiny over €6.3 million penthouse purchase

Madrid’s regional government is facing mounting scrutiny over its €6.3 million purchase of a residential penthouse that officials said was intended to serve as temporary office space for regional president Isabel Díaz Ayuso.

The property, in Madrid’s Chamberí district, was acquired in April while renovation work was planned at the Real Casa de Correos, the seat of the regional administration. Subsequent reporting found that planning rules permitted residential use but not use as an office, raising questions about the stated purpose of the purchase.

Ayuso, a senior figure in Spain’s opposition conservative People’s Party, has said she did not know about the acquisition. She initially described the controversy as a smear campaign and said the property was meant for institutional meetings rather than as a residence.

Her government has since announced that the penthouse will be sold and that proceeds will be donated to people affected by wildfires near Madrid.

The dispute remains active. A Madrid judge is examining five complaints connected to the purchase. People’s Party leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo has said the relevant regional department should explain why it bought a property that could not legally function as an office, even as he said he was satisfied with Ayuso’s own account.

Opposition politicians have called the regional government’s explanations inadequate and demanded Ayuso’s resignation. No finding of wrongdoing has been made, and the judicial examination remains under way.

The controversy carries political risk ahead of Madrid’s next regional election. Ayuso has led the region since 2019 and currently governs with an absolute majority.