Authorities in Valencia and Alicante are grappling with a major scandal concerning the allocation of protected housing. The opposition party PSPV has filed a complaint with the prosecutor's office regarding suspicious land swap operations alleged to have favored developers at the expense of families waiting for housing. Simultaneously, a court in Alicante has launched an investigation into the controversial allocation of apartments to officials and individuals linked to the ruling People's Party, which has already led to a series of resignations.

Complaint to Prosecutor's Office

The PSPV party reported the case of swapping 39 apartments in Valencia, claiming the city gave away four plots to a developer to the public detriment.

Investigation in Alicante

A court is examining the allocation of 140 apartments in Playa de San Juan; suspicions concern corruption and favoritism towards individuals linked to the People's Party.

Political Consequences

An investigative committee will be established in the regional parliament, and the opposition demands the resignations of Vice President Susana Camarero and Mayor Luis Barcala.

Police Inspections

Local Police have begun door-to-door inspections of apartments to check whether beneficiaries actually reside in the allocated protected housing units.

A wave of scandals related to protected housing has shaken the Valencian autonomous community. At the center of the controversy is an operation carried out by the municipal authorities of Valencia, led by Mayor María José Catalá. Socialists from PSPV have filed a complaint with the prosecutor's office, accusing officials of conducting a land swap detrimental to the city. Under this transaction, the municipality transferred four attractive building plots to a developer in exchange for 39 apartments in a nearly completed building. As documents indicate, reservations for these units were previously canceled to allow the city to take them over, which may have brought the company a profit of around 53 million euros from the sale of the remaining units. The situation is equally tense in Alicante, where an investigative judge has officially launched a probe into the Les Naus development. Suspicions concern the use of insider information and corruption in the allocation of 140 protected housing units. According to media reports, beneficiaries of the program included high-earning individuals, often linked to the People's Party (PP), including officials and their families. The scandal has already forced the resignations of several key figures, including Urban Planning Councilor Rocío Gómez. Currently, police are conducting inspections in the apartments, checking whether individuals granted preferential rates actually reside in them, which is a necessary condition for maintaining social housing status. In the regional parliament, Les Corts, the opposition is demanding the resignations of Vice President Susana Camarero and Alicante Mayor Luis Barcala. The new regional president, Juanfran Pérez Llorca, has admitted that the housing management system needs improvement, while simultaneously trying to deflect attacks by suggesting irregularities may have roots in decisions by the previous administration. This issue has completely dominated public debate, pushing aside matters like regional funding or the absence of former president Carlos Mazón from parliamentary benches. The protected housing system in Spain was established during the Franco dictatorship and was intensively developed during the democratic transition as a way to combat the housing crisis, but for decades it has struggled with problems of speculation and corruption in land allocation. „The People's Party's housing business is mere plunder that favors developers at the expense of families.” — Borja Sanjuan Valencia (swap operation): 39, Alicante (Les Naus development): 140 53 million € — potential developer profit in Valencia Housing Scandal Timeline: — ; — ; —

Mentioned People

  • María José Catalá — Mayor of Valencia, accused by the opposition of involvement in detrimental land swaps.
  • Juanfran Pérez Llorca — Current president of the Valencian regional government, defending the administration's actions amid the scandal.
  • Carlos Mazón — Former president of Valencia, whose absence from parliament is controversial in the shadow of the scandal.