The Generalitat de Catalunya is investing €25 million to transform an old factory in Barcelona’s Sant Martí district into a new, expanded Mossos d’Esquadra police station. This significant renovation project, located at the intersection of Àvila and Bolívia streets, aims for completion by early 2028.
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Major Investment in Public Safety
The total investment for the project reaches almost €30 million. This sum covers the comprehensive rehabilitation of the autonomous police building. It also includes works management and the already completed transfer of the Data Processing Centre (DPC) from 22@ to the Egara headquarters. Civil works for the building alone will cost over €16 million. CRC Obras y Servicios will carry out these works. Additionally, Alamo Industrial will provide installations and equipment, costing nearly €9 million.
This new facility will house the Metropolitan Barcelona Police Region’s command. It will also accommodate the Criminal Investigation Area and the Regional Operational Resources Area (ARRO). Regional citizen services will also operate from this location. The building will additionally host the Environmental Regina Unit, the Barcelona Information Unit, and the Regional Administrative Police Unit. The Regional Building Security and Transfers Area will also be present. Furthermore, the Metropolitan Transport Security Area of the General Mobility Commissariat and various administrative services, including a contingency coordination centre, training rooms, and an auditorium, will occupy the premises.
A Landmark Police Headquarters
The renovated building will span 13,695 square metres. It will provide workspaces for over 1,000 public officials. This makes it the largest Mossos d’Esquadra police building in Barcelona, excluding the central headquarters complex in Travessera de les Corts. The structure includes a basement, a ground floor, and seven upper floors, totalling 12,700 square metres. The renovation will add an extra 1,000 square metres of surface area. Former Interior Minister Joan Ignasi Elena stated in 2022, “Society changes and the Mossos Corps must adapt to this change. This building will be emblematic and will become the city of Barcelona’s reference police headquarters.”
Officials initially considered constructing a new headquarters on Badajoz street. However, this site would have been insufficient for all planned police units. It would also have resulted in a considerable loss of parking spaces in the neighbourhood. Consequently, in 2022, authorities decided to rehabilitate the existing building and expand its surface area.
Controversial Origins of the Site
The Generalitat acquired the building, a former textile factory, in 1991. It required rehabilitation due to aluminosis, a structural defect. During the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, the building served as the security operations base for the event, according to the Department of Interior. However, the building’s acquisition was surrounded by controversy. Reports from the era describe it as a “land grab” involving alleged political-economic conspiracies.
An intermediary company with links to financier Javier de la Rosa initially purchased the property. It was then sold to the Generalitat, generating significant profits. This transaction reportedly yielded a profit of 800 million pesetas, equivalent to almost €5 million, in just a few months. Alleged commissions also amounted to approximately 185 million pesetas, nearly €1.2 million. These funds were reportedly intended to “buy the will of someone important,” according to publications at the time.
Historical Scrutiny and Investigations
In July 1999, the opposition raised questions about the operation. Socialist MP Martí Carnicer asked then-President Jordi Pujol about the purchase. Carnicer inquired, “What elements justified the acquisition by the Government of the property? Did the Government study the possibility and costs of other alternative locations? Did the Government know that this purchase was associated with significant commissions? Has it subsequently verified if these commissions existed?” The executive responded that it had evaluated 13 alternative sites. However, it denied the other accusations. Courts were already investigating commission payments in two parallel operations at that time. These included the sale of the Àvila street building and the Generalitat’s purchase of the National Leasing Consortium (CNL) headquarters. The CNL was a holding company also controlled by Javier de la Rosa.
The controversy resurfaced during the recent trial against the Pujol family at the Audiencia Nacional. Police officers testified that Jordi Pujol Ferrusola’s first major account in Andorra opened in 1991. It received funds from Aciesa, the company that acted as an intermediary in the sale of both the Mossos headquarters and the Environment Ministry building. Javier de la Rosa and his partners controlled Aciesa. In 2020, Judge José de la Mata of the Audiencia Nacional charged Jordi Pujol Ferrusola with receiving illicit payments. This charge related to the sale of the CNL headquarters. Investigators claim that on 1st August 1991, Pujol Ferrusola deposited 8,532,409 pesetas into an Andorran account. This sum was linked to an “illicit commission derived from the sale of the CNL headquarters to the Generalitat de Catalunya.” Albert Freixa, Aciesa’s administrator, testified in court that a commission from his company went to “a son of Pujol.”
Future of the Sant Martí Station
Despite its complex history, the new Sant Martí police station aims to become a benchmark for public services in Barcelona. The rehabilitation project will improve operational efficiency. It will also correct deficiencies caused by adapting the building for functions it was not originally designed to perform. This expansion will additionally help decongest other police facilities across Barcelona, enhancing overall public safety and service delivery in the city.
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Originally published by Metrópoli Abierta – Urban Life. Read original article.
