Political and judicial pressure is mounting on Madrid’s regional president, Isabel Díaz Ayuso (main image) of the right-wing People’s Party (PP), over the controversial €6.3 million purchase of a luxury penthouse with public funds, with both the left-wing Más Madrid group and the Socialist Party (PSOE) seeking to take part in a court investigation into the deal.
Más Madrid has asked to join the proceedings as a popular prosecution – a provision under Spanish law that allows individuals and organisations that are not themselves victims of an alleged offence to participate in certain criminal cases.
The PSOE has also applied to join the case, while Más Madrid has opened a separate front by referring the purchase to Spain’s Court of Auditors, asking it to examine whether the transaction may have caused a loss to the public purse.
The moves represent a significant escalation in a controversy that began when it emerged that the Madrid regional government’s publicly owned company Planifica Madrid had spent €6.3 million on a large residential penthouse in the affluent Chamberí district of the capital.
The regional government initially said the property had been acquired to provide temporary facilities for Ayuso while renovation work was carried out at the Real Casa de Correos, the headquarters of the Madrid presidency.
But questions over the property’s intended use, the way it was acquired and the justification for spending millions of euros of public money on it have kept the affair alive, despite the regional government’s subsequent decision to put it back on the market.
Opposition seeks role in judicial investigation
Más Madrid has formally asked a Madrid court to be admitted to preliminary proceedings so that it can participate in the investigation and exercise a ‘popular prosecution’.
The proceedings stem from complaints over the purchase, including one lodged by Iustitia Europa, as well as action by the Madrid Prosecutor’s Office.
In its application, Más Madrid argues that, if the allegations under investigation prove to be correct, the transaction could amount to conduct that was ‘criminal and unacceptable’ on the part of the administration.
Its submission focuses particularly on the role of Planifica Madrid, Proyectos y Obras, M.P., S.A., the public company that bought the property, and calls for scrutiny not only of the purchase itself but also of the decisions and actions before and after it.
The party claims there are ‘indications’ that the acquisition may not have followed the legally required procedure and describes the way the transaction was handled as ‘opaque’.
It also questions whether sufficient evidence exists that buying the property served a genuine public interest, and claims the acquisition was made ‘on the orders of a political body’.
Más Madrid argues that the circumstances could potentially point to a number of criminal offences, including administrative misconduct, misappropriation of public funds through unfair administration, fraud against the public administration and improper management of public assets.
Its application cites three articles of Spain’s Criminal Code.
By joining the proceedings, the party wants access to the case and the ability to participate directly in establishing how the penthouse came to be purchased and whether those responsible complied with the law.
PSOE demands documents, testimony and independent valuation
The PSOE has raised its own questions about both the process by which the property was acquired and its intended purpose.
According to the party’s submission, Planifica Madrid bought the penthouse on 14 April 2026 for approximately €6.3 million, but the transaction ‘does not appear in the company’s budget or on its transparency portal’.
The socialists argue that using the public company for the purchase may have allowed the transaction to bypass safeguards that would normally apply to a direct property acquisition by the regional administration. These could include requirements concerning reports, public disclosure, competitive procedures, financial oversight and notification of the Madrid Assembly.
The PSOE also challenges the explanation that the penthouse was intended to provide temporary working space for the presidency during refurbishment of the Real Casa de Correos.
One of the central problems is the property’s planning status. The penthouse, situated on the ninth floor of the building, is authorised for residential rather than office use.
The socialists have gone further, raising the possibility that the property could have been intended as a residence connected to Ayuso herself.
The party acknowledges that this remains an unproven hypothesis requiring investigation. However, it points to the timing of the penthouse acquisition alongside the sale of Ayuso’s private home and another property belonging to her partner as circumstances it believes warrant examination.
Among the investigative measures requested by the PSOE are the purchase deed and details of the price; Planifica Madrid’s complete file on the transaction; minutes of board meetings; valuations and reports; internal communications; confidentiality agreements; and information showing how the purchase was financed.
It also wants evidence to be obtained from the property’s seller and the estate agency involved, along with reports from Madrid’s Directorate-General for Heritage and the city council concerning the permitted use of the property.
The party has additionally requested the complete file relating to the renovation of the Real Casa de Correos, testimony from members of Planifica Madrid’s board and an independent assessment of the penthouse’s market value as of 14 April when the purchase was completed.
Madrid socialist leader Óscar López confirmed that his party was joining the proceedings as an accusation over what he called the purchase of Ayuso’s €6.3 million luxury penthouse.
‘Let the possible irregularities and the use of public money to finance her latest personal whim be investigated to the end. The people of Madrid deserve answers,’ he said.
Why the €6.3 million purchase became controversial
The penthouse has approximately 485 square metres of interior space as well as almost 200 square metres of terrace.
It was purchased after Planifica Madrid commissioned a luxury property agency to find premises in Chamberí or the surrounding area. The original search reportedly specified a property measuring between 250 and 400 square metres with a large terrace.
The eventual purchase was therefore even larger than the upper end of that specification.
When details of the acquisition emerged at the end of July, the Madrid government said the property was intended for Ayuso’s use while work was being carried out on her normal offices at the Real Casa de Correos.
But the explanation immediately raised questions because of the residential classification of the property and the unusual requirements stipulated during the search, including the large terrace.
Ayuso denied that the penthouse had been purchased for her to live in, saying it was intended for institutional meetings. She also insisted that she had not known about the acquisition beforehand and denounced reporting about the affair as a smear campaign.
Her government subsequently abandoned its plans for the property and announced that it would be sold, with the proceeds going to people affected by the wildfires that struck the Madrid region during the summer.
Ayuso has attempted to draw a line under the affair, recently telling reporters that the penthouse was now on the market and declaring: ‘Está en venta, chao pescao’ – which translates as, ‘It’s up for sale, so see you later, alligator.’
But the decision to sell has failed to end questions about why the property was bought in the first place and whether the transaction was conducted properly.
Even national PP leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo has acknowledged that aspects of the affair require further explanation. Although he has said he is satisfied with Ayuso’s account, he has also said the relevant department of the Madrid government should explain why it purchased a property that could not legally be used as an office.
Feijóo has said Ayuso’s team told him in April that it was searching for temporary office space – an assertion that has prompted further questions given Ayuso’s claim that she knew nothing about the penthouse purchase.
Más Madrid also turns to Court of Auditors
Alongside its attempt to participate in the criminal proceedings, Más Madrid has now lodged a complaint with the Court of Auditors asking it to investigate the financial consequences of the acquisition.
The party wants the watchdog to determine whether the €6.3 million transaction resulted in damage to public funds.
Its complaint questions whether there was sufficient public need to justify buying the property and seeks clarification of the process through which the decision was made.
It also wants scrutiny of the costs associated with the transaction and of any financial loss that could result from the regional government’s subsequent decision to sell the penthouse.
That means the affair is potentially being examined from two different directions: the Madrid court investigation into whether criminal wrongdoing may have occurred and scrutiny by the Court of Auditors of the handling of public money.
Sánchez joins attacks on Ayuso
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has meanwhile seized on the controversy to accuse Ayuso and the PP of failing to meet standards of transparency and accountability.
Speaking on the Hoy por Hoy radio programme on Monday, Sánchez suggested that the penthouse had in reality been intended for Ayuso to live in.
‘What seems to be the case is that this lady wanted to buy herself a fancy penthouse with the money of the people of Madrid to live in it and that she has been caught,’ he said.
Sánchez argued that the affair posed a broader political problem for the right-wing PP.
‘The PP has a serious problem,’ he said.
He accused the party of applying different standards when demanding political responsibility from its opponents, adding: ‘Unless, as always, the funnel law is what applies: very wide for some and very narrow for others.’ ALSO READ: Poll finds most Spaniards believe ‘lawfare’ exists amid deepening trust crisis in justice.
According to Sánchez, the controversy leaves the PP facing questions in two areas: ‘It has a first problem, of transparency, and secondly, of accountability and demand for responsibilities.’
The remarks are particularly pointed given the bitter political rivalry between Sánchez and Ayuso. ALSO READ: Pedro Sánchez: ‘There are judges doing politics and politicians trying to do justice’.
Ayuso, who has led the Madrid region since 2019 and has become one of the most prominent figures on the Spanish right, has repeatedly attacked Sánchez and the PSOE over corruption allegations involving figures linked to the prime minister, his family and government. ALSO READ: Smear campaigns & ‘mafia practices’ – the alleged corruption saga against Spain’s PM rolls on.
The penthouse affair has now given her opponents an opportunity to turn those accusations back on the Madrid administration.
The controversy also comes while Ayuso’s partner, businessman Alberto González Amador, is awaiting trial on charges of tax fraud and falsifying documents, allegations he denies. ALSO READ: Partner of Madrid regional leader Ayuso faces alleged tax fraud probe.
With opposition parties now seeking direct involvement in the judicial proceedings, Más Madrid asking the Court of Auditors to investigate the financial implications and Spain’s prime minister publicly attacking Ayuso over the purchase, the regional government’s decision to sell the property has done little to bring the controversy to an end.
Instead, the focus is increasingly shifting away from the penthouse itself towards who authorised its purchase, why a €6.3 million residential property was considered necessary, whether the required administrative controls were followed and what the property was ultimately intended to be used for. ALSO READ: Pedro Sánchez rejects claims of ‘widespread corruption’ amid growing pressure on government.
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‼️ Llevamos al Tribunal de Cuentas la compra del ático de Ayuso.
— Más Madrid (@MasMadrid__) August 31, 2026
Que digan quién lo decidió y cuánto hemos perdido los madrileños.
Transparencia y responsabilidades hasta el final.https://t.co/kPSQ0CndWy pic.twitter.com/qYdxrLG2OM
Nos personamos como acusación en la causa por la compra del ático de lujo de 6,3 millones de euros de Ayuso.
— Oscar López Agueda (@oscarlopeztwit) September 1, 2026
Que se investiguen hasta el final las posibles irregularidades y el uso de dinero público para financiar su último capricho personal.
Los madrileños merecen respuestas. pic.twitter.com/DFIBcjmCov
Ayuso, sobre el ático: “No se puede estirar más este chicle. Si le preguntan a Feijóo, pues contesta, entonces yo respondo.. y nos podemos tirar así un año. Está en venta. ‘Chao pescao'” https://t.co/tfg4FmnFcM pic.twitter.com/eaFMF5HHHt
— elDiario.es (@eldiarioes) August 24, 2026
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