Planifica Madrid, the public company of the Community of Madrid that bought the controversial penthouse in Chamberí in April, which has been pursued throughout the summer by President Isabel Díaz Ayuso, has not received any offers for the property after putting it up for sale, so it has proposed declaring the corresponding tender void.
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This is stated in the minutes of the Contracting Board meeting held this Thursday and uploaded to the Contracting Portal at 16:12 hours, minutes before the appearance of the Minister of the Presidency and top official of Planifica Madrid, Miguel Ángel García Martín, in the plenary session of the regional Assembly. García Martín insisted that the purchase of the penthouse is part of the institutional activity of the regional Government itself and was not intended to be used as an official residence for the president.
According to the minutes, regarding lot two which corresponds to the penthouse, with a starting price of 6,694,201 euros, the Board has “the authority to submit to the contracting body of Planifica Madrid the proposal to declare Lot 2: Madrid-General Martínez Campos void, due to no offers having been received for it.”
The opening of the envelopes containing the offers was scheduled for yesterday but was postponed to late Thursday for “organizational reasons.”
Sources from the PP admit to La Vanguardia that “it was expected that the process would be void.” “There was a lot of rush to sell it to cover up a poorly planned operation from the start,” they add.
García Martín, who appeared at his own request in the Assembly to report on this purchase and the activity of Planifica Madrid, defended that this property was acquired mainly as a “complement to the institutional activity” carried out by the various ministries of the Community of Madrid and, “more immediately, as support for the institutional offices of the Community of Madrid within the framework of the works at the Real Casa de Correos from 2025.” The regional Government spokesperson also explained that the Community “never bought a property for the president’s residence who, as always, lives in her own home.”
The penthouse, located on paseo del General Martínez Campos, was bought in April for 6.3 million euros, according to the Community, to meet the space needs caused by the upcoming renovation of the Real Casa de Correos, the seat of the regional Presidency.
The Community decided to sell the property one day after El País uncovered the operation and stated that the funds obtained will be allocated to the reconstruction of the western mountain range after this summer’s fire.
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The acquisition of the property, formalized on April 14 for 6.3 million euros, remained hidden for months. The public company Planifica Madrid, attached to the Ministry of the Presidency, omitted publishing the transaction on the transparency portal and did not include it in its annual accounts. A detailed analysis of the public agenda of the entity revealed that during the months of April, May, June, and July the official activity of the entity came to an unprecedented standstill, only retrospectively incorporating the appointment corresponding to the day of the deed granting with the brief note “Notary signing.”
The justifications offered by the regional Government have varied as details of the operation have emerged. Initially, Díaz Ayuso’s team argued that the property would act as a provisional headquarters of the Presidency due to the imminent remodeling works at the Real Casa de Correos. However, this motivation immediately clashed with urban legality, which prohibits administrative and office use in the property, which is strictly residential.
The use of the public company Planifica Madrid to channel the operation has allowed the regional Government to avoid prior administrative controls, the audit by the Intervention, and the mandatory authorization of the Government Council required by the patrimonial regime of direct Administration.
Faced with the legal impossibility of allocating the apartment for institutional use, the Madrid Government changed strategy and started the express sale justifying that the proceeds will be used to repair the damage caused by forest fires in the Sierra Oeste.
After the controversy erupted, the president left the other apartment in Chamberí that she shared with her partner, Alberto González Amador, and moved to a gated community in Puerta de Hierro, one of the most affluent areas of Madrid. Her new home has between 130 and 150 square meters, a pool, and a garage, and the rent for a property of those characteristics ranges between 2,500 and 3,000 euros per month.
The case is under judicial investigation in the ordinary courts of Plaza de Castilla in Madrid. The investigative section of the trial court number 8 of Madrid opened preliminary proceedings after complaints were filed by several parties and groups. Additionally, the operation has been brought before the Court of Auditors to analyze whether there was any economic damage to public funds.
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