The Supreme Court has confirmed that the Pazo de Meirás belongs to the State and not to the family of the dictator Francisco Franco, by dismissing the appeal filed by the heirs against the ruling that had already recognized the public ownership of the property. In this way, the high court ratifies the resolution that ordered the return of the pazo, located in the A Coruña municipality of Sada.
The Supreme Court's decision backs the arguments of the public administrations that promoted the claim of the property, by considering it proven that the acquisition of the pazo by Franco occurred through an irregular operation during the dictatorship. With this resolution, the court closes the dispute over the ownership of the building.
The Pazo de Meirás was the dictator's summer residence for decades and its ownership had been the subject of a prolonged judicial process driven by the State, the Xunta de Galicia, the Deputation of A Coruña and the Sada City Council. The administrations argued that the property had been acquired through a forced subscription among the population during Francoism.
The Supreme Court's ruling thus ratifies previous court rulings that had already recognized the public ownership of the pazo, consolidating the return of the property to the State's heritage after years of legal dispute with the Franco family.
