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A Spanish court stripped the heirs of the summer palace of the late dictator General Francisco Franco and ordered their transfer to the Spanish state, which claims ownership.
The Patho de Meira, built between 1893 and 1907 in Galicia, was acquired in 1938 during the civil war through public donations.
Judge Martha Canales said in today’s ruling that the donations were not intended for Franco himself, “but for the head of state.”
Its subsequent acquisition by Franco in 1941, when the property was transferred to the dictator, was a fraud, the judge added.
“Franco didn’t pay anything … Franco didn’t buy anything,” he said.
The property claim, valued at more than 5 million euros by the family last year, followed the removal of Franco’s remains from a mausoleum near Madrid, as well as other initiatives to remove the symbols of the dictatorship. by various leftist governments after Franco’s death in 1975.
The family can appeal the decision. One of the dictator’s grandsons, Frances Franco, did not respond to a request for comment and his lawyer was not immediately available.
Spanish Deputy Prime Minister Carmen Calvo welcomed the decision.
“Democracy has taken a big step today,” he said.
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