When the Portuguese Communist Party bought Vivenda Aleluia in Aveiro, where it was a tenant, from owner Gervásio Aleluia in July 2014, it paid 350,000 euros for the 160 square meter building, plus a large garden (340 m2). ), where the “work center” had been active since 1974. Four years later I asked for information about the possibility of purchasing this house from 1929, one of the bookplate New art in the city, the preservation of which the architect Siza Vieira considered “imperious”, and to erect a building on the site, establishing contacts for this purpose with EGIC-Empresa de Gestão Imobiliária e Construção (see the other text in DN about the case).
This company, which tells DN that it “has had a professional and commercial relationship with PCP for some time” and that this relationship is “exactly the same as this one (that of Vivenda Aleluia)”, would execute in June 2023 an exchange contract with the party whereby, in exchange for the transfer of Vivenda Aleluia – i.e. the land in question – the party becomes the holder of three units, plus garages and storage, of the new Aleluia building that will be built there, assets to which a value is specified in the contract of 800 thousand euros is attributed.
although the added value of 129% compared to what the party paid for the property in 2014 pales in comparison to the value that Caixa Geral de Depósitos attributed to the property that the party owned: on the same day and act as the exchange contract, June 26, 2023, The real estate agency, as appears from the document registered at the Aveiro Land Registry, took out a mortgage with this bank, guaranteed by the plot of land it had just acquired, for a total value of four million nine hundred and sixty. four thousand seven hundred and twelve euros – more than six times the value attributed to the factions “exchanged” with the PCP.
In other words, presenting Vivenda Aleluia as collateral, plus the construction project licensed in the name of the PCP – as EGIC informs: ensuring that the company and the hired architect arranged everything with powers of attorney from the party – for this space, the Real Estate and Construction Manager applied for two loans on the same occasion: one for 800 thousand euros, exactly the value attributed to the fractions held by the PCP, and another for two million nine hundred and fifty thousand euros – a total of three million seven hundred and fifty thousand euros.
The difference with the total value that CGD attributes to the land – four million nine hundred sixty-four thousand seven hundred and twelve euros – corresponds to what is referred to in a loan “maximum sum insured”: the sum of the capital plus interest payments, moratoriums and costs: everything that must be covered by the guarantee. For a loan of 800,000 euros, the maximum insured amount is one million one hundred and seventy-eight thousand eight hundred euros; for the loan of 2,950,000 euros, the aforementioned amount is 3,785,912 euros. The sum of the two maximum amounts is, as already mentioned, 4,964,712 euros – what CGD will consider the lot, with building permit, worth.
Taking into account the price at which the remaining 15 fractions of the building are sold (excluding the parts exchanged with the PCP), which range between 620 thousand (for a T4) and 310 thousand euros (for a T2), This real estate agency expects to ‘earn’ at least 7,210,000 euros in sales.
The newspaper asked a representative of a real estate agency active in the area what amount they would allocate for that piece of land. The answer was: “a million and a hundred, a million and two hundred, or something like that. That was the amount for which a piece of land next door was sold.” But, he says, “without an approved project it would be worth another hundred thousand euros with the approved project.”
When asked by DN whether it believes that the 800,000 euros from the grant corresponds to the market value of the land on which the building to be built will be located, EGIC answers: “The agreement concluded with the PCP was concluded taking into account the market conditions. values, based on an exchange of the built-up area for the area to be built.”
Confronted by DN with the question “What is the reason for the PCP to enable the real estate agency EGIC to obtain such a high added value?”, the PCP refused to answer.
Practice reversing political discourse
As already highlighted in the extensive news published about this PCP real estate company since September, the building licensed in its name and in its interest – since it has a much larger coverage area and more valuable assets – does not include a fraction for affordable rent or for sale at a controlled cost; In short, does not reflect the slightest concern about what the party defends in its political discourse and what must be taken into account in construction and rehabilitation, especially in city centers: the social function of housing.
This social function, as the PCP emphasizes in Article 6 of a 2018 draft law – simultaneously with the party’s first contacts with EGIC on Vivenda Aleluia and the request for information to the Chamber of Aveiro to find out whether it was possible to have a high to erect a wall there – means that, “without prejudice to the right to property and the enjoyment thereof, the holders of properties or autonomous housing units owned by public or private entities should participate in the pursuit of national objective of guaranteeing all the right to decent life.” homes of sufficient size.”
In the same bill (no. 1023/XIII, dated 15 October 2018 and entitled “Basic Housing Act”), the PCP also states in the preamble: the “strategic objective” of “at ground level”, “countering real estate speculation and disclosing and managing the added value resulting from land use transformation interventions or densification plans and, or qualitative change in the use of the building”.
Now the project negotiated by the PCP with EGIC and presented to the Municipality of Aveiro, chaired since 2013 by the Social Democrat José Ribau Esteves (elected in a PSD/CDS-PP coalition), and licensed by it while the PCP was the owner, it is actually a densification and a qualitative change of the building with very great added value. Which, as shown, are divided between the party and the real estate company, in an operation that, from the perspective of the “basic housing law” presented by the PCP, in no way contradicts – but rather benefits – “real estate speculation”.
This real estate operation by the communists is precisely part of the very critical description given in the preamble of the above-mentioned bill of the “ongoing urban renewal processes”, which, he guarantees, “are generally carried out by investors, who completely control the housing market through their financial power and the scale on which they interveneespecially from the perspective of prices and the crucial aspect of leasing.” Finally: “It is clear that the objectives of these investors are not compatible with a policy of providing housing for the vast majority of the population.”
The contradiction between practice and political discourse, which is evident from the cases described, and the significant nature of the added value that this made possible both for the party and especially for the real estate company, must also be appreciated in the light of the evolution of the PCP’s position regarding its own Villa Aleluia.
PCP’s ‘collective opinion’ changed from 2006 to 2018
This is because, as already reported, in 2006 the owner, Gervásio Aleluia, wanted to do exactly what the party, then tenant (having occupied the building in 1974, later signed a lease whose terms and date are unknown). asked about them, the PCP refused to clarify) what they did next – demolish the building to build a high-rise building on the site – the PCP enthusiastically supported the PSD/CDS-PP director’s decision not to give unanimous consent to give.
The then president of the municipality, Élio Delgado da Maia, tries to explain the difference between the 2006 council decision and now: “We were all from Aveiro and the idea was that this was a building that represented the history of the city and was worth preserving.”
A perspective supported by the PCP, through the vote of leader António Salavessa, who headed the CDU list in the 2005 municipal elections and was a member of the party’s Central Committee at the time. Quoted by Public On June 14, 2006, Salavessa classified the council’s decision as “exemplary” and emphasized that it was a property of “indisputable value”. and hoped that the council would “follow the same path in relation to other properties of architectural interest that should be preserved”.
Today, Salavessa, who is a municipal councilor on a replacement basis, prefers not to give the DN his opinion on the change in the party’s position. ‘As you know, opinions have a context. In the context in which they are expressed, I would uphold them.’ What has changed? “What changed is that I had to express an opinion at the time, and I expressed it, and it wasn’t just a personal opinion, it was a collective opinion. There was now an understanding of who has the competence to decide on heritage issues – the Secretariat of the Central Committee – which assessed the pros and cons of what was being done and made the decision to do so – and that is why I need to, cannot be discussed within the principles specific to the PCP.’ But if the party bought it in 2014 and wanted to demolish it four years later, they might as well not buy it, right? “I’m not commenting.”
Elio Maia says: “If this decision came from a capitalist movement, that would be expected. But from the PCP? Honestly. The people of Aveiro are shocked.”
The former mayor confirms that the demolition of the building is a loss for the city and also believes that “the original owner is clearly disadvantaged in this situation: they tell him that he cannot build, the tenant buys him land for which he cannot has permission.” construction, so it is worth very little, then the tenant gets permission and the land becomes worth, I don’t know how many times more? If that were the case, I would be very angry.’
DN tried to talk to Gervásio Aleluia without success.
Source: DN
