Maricarmen's hope remains alive after the eviction and her lawyer trusts that she can return home: "They have shown themselves to be truly heartless because they have not wanted to negotiate absolutely anything"

The lawyer for the octogenarian Maricarmen, Beatriz Duro, stated this Monday that they maintain the objective that the woman "can return to her home under the same conditions as when she left, which are the conditions in which she has been living for 70 years."

Maricarmen had been living since 1956 in the same apartment in Madrid, with an old rent contract. The conflict began when the company Urbagestión acquired the property and questioned the continuity of her contract. After several years of legal battle, the courts ended up endorsing the eviction. 

Duro made these statements moments before the meeting they will hold with Urbagestión, the company that bought the apartment from which Maricarmen, 87, was evicted last Friday in the district of Arganzuela.

A meeting mediated by the Madrid City Council 

The meeting between both parties was mediated by professionals from the municipal company EMVS Madrid, as explained by the lawyer, who insisted that the priority is to find a solution that allows the neighbor to return to her home.

For Beatriz Duro, Maricarmen's lawyer, her case has been "the last straw". The woman's eviction and the subsequent protest have ended with a camp in Puerta del Sol. Duro also referred to the latest information about the company that owns the home, which has asked the Madrid City Council that the apartment be made available to the Municipal Housing and Land Company (EMVS) and municipal Social Services: "I understand that they are not coming to this meeting, but I wish they would, because I believe that by talking directly we could reach agreements faster". 

In this context, Beatriz Duro expressed her confidence that Urbagestión will not limit itself to a "image wash" and that, on the contrary, it really wants "this, Maricarmen's return, to be a possibility". Given that option, she added, they are willing to offer "concessions".

Expectation for the so-called 'Maricarmen Decree'

The lawyer also conveyed that Maricarmen is "very hopeful" that the so-called 'Maricarmen Decree' will be approved tomorrow, a reference that, she indicated, they have named thus in the context of the case.

"Maricarmen is very hopeful that tomorrow the 'Maricarmen Decree' will also be approved, which we have named thus. She is hopeful of being able to find a solution first for her individual case, but also at a collective level," concluded the lawyer.