Óscar López denies the Muface eviction he signed by delegation

Óscar López denies the Muface eviction he signed by delegation

Minister Óscar López has denied on Twitter having requested or signed the eviction of a Muface tenant, trinc the publication of an article in articulo14 that documents the opposite. "This headline is false. I have neither requested nor signed anyone's eviction in any case," he wrote on the social network, demanding a right of reply from the outlet. The archives, however, work against him: the same minister had previously declared that it was necessary to "empathize with Mari Carmen and guarantee that something like this never happens again."

The document that dismantles the denial

The signature on the document is his, by delegated authority, as with so many other documents processed by his ministry. The minister's defense rests on the claim that the signature corresponds to his secretary general by delegation, an argument that, according to the circulating analysis, does not exempt him from responsibility: if the signature was not authorized, the blame falls on the subordinate — something that is unlikely to fly.

The case is set within Muface's plan to "liquidate" 204 properties — including 86 apartments — and "capitalize" its special pension fund, according to published reports. The paradox is evident: a minister who made housing his electoral banner now appears linked to an eviction in a public housing stock.

The 120-square-meter penthouse and the room-by-room subletting

The most uncomfortable detail is not the eviction itself, but the use of public housing. A 120-square-meter penthouse in Madrid, owned by Muface, was rented for 850 euros a month, well below market price. Far from being used as a primary residence, it was sublet by rooms for more than 2,000 euros a month, bills excluded. Private exploitation with the privileges of a public apartment, in the middle of a housing access crisis.

The comparison with the free market is stark: an 850-euro rental for 120 square meters in Madrid simply does not exist. The subletting profit was more than double the original cost. If there were a citizens' tribunal, as some analyses quip, those responsible would be hanging from the most central strawberry tree in Madrid.

Muface is not just healthcare: it also manages apartments

Confusion about what Muface is has been a constant in the discussion. It is not only the mutual society that manages civil servants' private healthcare: it also administers a stock of public housing. The minister described it as "a public entity that manages public apartments for everyone and not a vulture fund." The immediate question is why that housing stock is being liquidated and who benefits.

The plan to liquidate 204 properties to capitalize the pension fund suggests a priority: obtaining liquidity by selling assets, not protecting the right to housing. The contradiction with the official discourse — "those who do not want to guarantee the right to housing are the PP and Vox" — is hard to sustain.

The archives and the political cost

The minister had built part of his public profile on the Mari Carmen case, blaming Ayuso and promising that "things like this" would not be allowed to happen. Now, the signature on a Muface eviction leaves him without arguments. The archives do not forgive.

The political cost multiplies because the case touches housing, the issue the PSOE chose as its banner. Those who came to fix the problem are being singled out as interested parties. Meanwhile, the evicted tenant waits for a housing alternative that, according to circulating suggestions, could be offered by her own party colleague, a major holder of property.

The matter is not closed. The rectification demanded by the minister has not arrived, and the document bearing his delegated signature remains on the table.