Ayuso's partner lists second luxury flat for 1.6 million euros as Madrid 'secret penthouse' scandal deepens

The penthouse purchase

Madrid's regional government, led by Isabel Díaz Ayuso, bought a 485-square-metre luxury penthouse with a 200-square-metre terrace in the upscale Chamberí district, directly opposite Ayuso's family home. The purchase was executed through the public company Madrid Planifica, which demanded a confidentiality agreement from the seller, Astrid Gil-Casares, before even visiting the property. The government initially said the penthouse would serve as a temporary office during renovations at the Puerta del Sol headquarters, but later acknowledged the building's zoning only permits residential use.

After El País revealed the purchase on Wednesday, the regional executive announced on Thursday it would sell the penthouse, along with four flats on Gran Vía and another building in central Madrid valued at around 26 million euros. The government said the expected 20 million euros in proceeds would increase the budget for reconstruction after the Sierra Oeste wildfires. Councillor Miguel Ángel García defended the administration's conduct, stating they behave "with absolute transparency" and that the properties "are made available for the different needs that the regional ministries may have."

González Amador's property sales

Alberto González Amador, who is under investigation for alleged tax fraud and document falsification related to a 350,000-euro down payment, listed two adjacent properties for sale within 24 hours. The sixth-floor flat, priced at 1.79 million euros according to ABC and 1.7 million from other sources, spans 211 square metres with four bedrooms, three bathrooms, and a ten-square-metre terrace. The penthouse directly above it was listed for 1.6 million euros, bringing the combined asking price to roughly 3.3 million euros.

The president of the Community of Madrid has decided to live like a god, and what Quirón doesn't pay her, the people of Madrid will.

González Amador purchased the property on 27 July 2022 for 850,000 euros. The sales listings appeared the same week the regional government's own penthouse acquisition became public, though sources close to Ayuso denied any connection between the two operations.

Opposition response and legal action

Más Madrid, the main opposition party, announced it will file a criminal complaint for embezzlement against the regional government. Deputy Hugo Martínez Abarca said Ayuso and González Amador were first seen visiting flats for themselves, with negotiations handled by a chief of staff from the regional presidency.

First Isabel Díaz Ayuso and Alberto González Amador were visiting flats for themselves, and they were being negotiated by a chief of staff from the Presidency of the Community of Madrid. Then they try to sell their penthouse and at the same time try to buy a penthouse with Community of Madrid money.

He added the party's legal services were already drafting the complaint and would file it as soon as it was ready. The PSOE in Madrid demanded Ayuso's resignation and called on her to "stop lying." The party requested the complete procurement file and asked to visit the purchased penthouse. Francisco Martín, the central government's delegate in Madrid, described the affair as "a colossal catch-out." The national PP leadership declined to comment on the matter.

Properties used as offices without licences

The investigation revealed four flats on Gran Vía and a central Madrid building worth 26 million euros were acquired as residential properties but used for years as government offices without the required licences. The managing company, GF Planifica, acknowledged in its budget documentation that "the properties have been used as offices, although their urban planning classification is residential." García insisted the properties served legitimate administrative needs, but critics questioned the legality of the practice.

When you are not transparent and you tell things that are not true, in the end they come out.

Journalist Elisa Beni argued the penthouse was never intended as an office but as an official residence for the president. She noted that if the government had needed an official residence, it could have tendered one openly: "It would be a public house for the use of whoever holds the office."

The political cost

Ayuso had spent the previous week visiting communities affected by the Sierra Oeste wildfires, consoling evacuated residents and working alongside Spain's prime minister. Her public standing appeared to be emerging intact from the crisis until the El País report shifted attention to the property operation. The PSOE's Mar Espinar, speaking outside the penthouse building at Paseo General Martínez Campos 35, said the sale of the couple's flat was "no coincidence, it is obstinacy." The controversy has opened one of the largest crises of Ayuso's tenure as regional president.