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PP presses PSOE over spokeswoman’s partner’s property business

Lara Carter RUSSPAIN.com

Post by Lara Carter

PP presses PSOE over spokeswoman’s partner’s property business RUSSPAIN.com © russpain.com
PP presses PSOE over spokeswoman’s partner’s property business © russpain.com

The PP wants a campaign debate after Artículo 14 reported that Montse Mínguez’s partner owns “30 pisos” and has evicted tenants. Mínguez says it is a family rental business that operates legally.

Nest Capital’s housing arm, Nest Capital Homes, is reported to manage between 20 and 30 rental homes. Some reports put the total at a minimum of 30.

That property business is now at the centre of a dispute over PSOE spokeswoman Montse Mínguez. The PP has formally asked for a campaign debate with her after Artículo 14 reported that her partner, Sergi Vélez, manages a property holding worth several million euros and had evicted tenants. Mínguez is not reported as owning the properties or managing the company. She says it is a family rental operation that complies with the law.

The estimates vary. Ara reported assets of about €8 million, while ESdiario cited an accounting valuation of €6.3 million.

Génova has made hypocrisy the centre of its response. The PP links Vélez’s property business to Mínguez’s criticism of large landlords and investment funds, and says she should debate housing policy with the party.

PP sources said Mínguez criticises landlords and investment funds while sharing a home with someone whose business involves property. They called her partner a “desahuciador confeso” and Mínguez a “buitre consorte”. Those are political insults, not findings established by the reported claims.

On Tuesday, Mínguez said personal attacks were among the worst aspects of politics. In an interview on Antena 3’s Espejo Público, she described the company as a family business devoted to renting property. She said it complies with Spanish law and the housing law applied in Catalonia.

She drew a distinction between tenants who do not pay rent and vulnerable tenants: the former may be evicted, she said, while the latter should be protected.

Reports on the business say it has pursued court proceedings to recover homes in cases of non-payment. One account described as many as three procedures at a time. The PP asked for a debate with Mínguez “or her husband,” the party said.

The company name also became part of the attack. Cayetana Álvarez de Toledo, the PP’s deputy spokeswoman in Congress, noted that “nest” means “nido” in English and made a jibe about a nest of vultures.

PP spokeswoman in Congress Ester Muñoz used the dispute to accuse the left of saying one thing and doing another. The party has asked for a debate, but none has been reported as agreed. Junts and Madrid regional president Isabel Díaz Ayuso also criticised the PSOE over the contrast between its housing stance and Vélez’s business. Mínguez rejected the portrayal of the family company as a vulture fund and said it paid taxes and complied with housing law.

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