Former Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, who left his post after a corruption scandal, started working as a regular real estate Registrar in the province of Alicante.
At the age of 63, former Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy returned to work as an ordinary citizen. 19 days after he was forced to leave his post due to a vote of no confidence in connection with the corruption scandal, the man who led the country for the last seven years has returned to his former job as a property Registrar in the Mediterranean resort town of Santa Pola, Alicante province, elpais reports.
“I know you think it’s worth coverage in the press, and that’s why you’re here, but I have nothing more to say than what I’ve said in recent days,” he told reporters. “I left politics and I went back to where I was. Life goes on.”
Rajoy now pays no attention to political intrigues, corruption scandals, official trips, the Catalan separatist challenge and other state Affairs. Instead, his life will be focused on the preparation of documents relating to property, inheritance, etc., at work from nine in the morning to five in the evening.
After becoming the youngest real estate Registrar at the age of 24, Rajoy returned to his old job almost three decades later, in a place that is a favorite for thousands of pensioners who are attracted by the Sunny climate and beaches.
Santa Polu is currently leading a coalition of four left parties with the mayor of the Socialist party at the helm, Yolanda Seva. This is a new government formed after the municipal elections of 2015. Previously, the head of the province was Miguel Saragos, who recently resigned after the investigation of the corruption case was initiated, and the official was arrested.
Santa Paula is a very desirable place for registrars to work. The province of Alicante tops the real estate sales charts in Spain, both in absolute and relative terms. According to official data, last year 34 631 real estate objects were sold: 5 407 new houses and 29 224 “resale”. In the first quarter of 2018, sales reached 10 thousand 232 objects, and there is a tendency to increase.
The Association of registrars of Valencia States that it does not have specific data about each office. But according to some estimates made 10 years ago, the office in Santa Polje earned 1.3 euros-1.8 million euros per year.
According to the representative of the Association of real estate registrars of Valencia, these state agencies “work almost as a private company: they do not receive money from the state budget and instead earn their own.”
Santa Paula is the dream of any Registrar
Rajoy will lead a team of seven employees. The Windows of his new office are facing the port of Santa Pola. The office is located on the ground floor of a residential building on Soria street, next to a pizzeria and an Asian restaurant.
On his first day of work, Rajoy did not leave his office and did not have to personally meet with citizens who came with requests for property. Instead, he was assisted by the front Desk staff.
Miguel angel Garcia, the owner of a local real estate Agency, praised the “simplicity” with which Rajoy took up his old job, becoming the first ex-head of government in the democratic history of Spain, who made such a decision.
“He made an important decision, abandoning the salary of the former Prime Minister, and his presence here is very good for the image of Santa Paula. Others should follow his example,” said Miguel angel Garcia.
Earlier, the former Prime Minister of Spain Mariano Rajoy was forced to resign because of the corruption scandal: the Parliament passed him a vote of no confidence.
