PP party to leave HQ to shake off corrupt image

The leader of the Partido Popular (PP), Pablo Casado, announced this week that the party is to vacate its controversial headquarters building in central Madrid.

The offices in Calle Génova are embroiled in a scandal linked to a refit being allegedly carried out with money that hadn't been declared for tax.

The PP did poorly in the Catalan elections and the very public trial of ex-party treasurer Luis Bárcenas is being partly blamed for the result.

"We shouldn't carry on in a building whose refit is being investigated this very week in the courts," explained Casado.

The PP bought the building outright in 2006 for 37 million euros and spent the next two years renovating it.