Belkacem Bouchouala: "Do you think that, if I collected all those rents, I would work in an internet café?"

ManacorBelkacem Bouchouala Azirar attends to a woman who wants to charge her mobile phone while a couple has just entered to pick up a package. In just over two minutes, the shop, located on Avinguda del Torrent in Manacor, suddenly fills up. It is hot inside and there is only a ceiling fan to try to combat the humidity. "Do you think that, if I earned all that money they say, I would work every day in an internet cafe?", he reflects.

Last Sunday, the Government issued a statement explaining that, on August 28th, National Police officers in Manacor and officials from the Housing Inspection Service had located an overcrowded dwelling on the so-called Via de Majorica, where up to 30 people were living in just over 200 square meters.

In the report, you are accused of irregularly renting out rooms in a house that does not meet the minimum conditions for between 80 and 100 euros. Is that so?

— No. In the first place, I have not charged rent to anyone. At the time, I bought this house on Via Majorica in Manacor to try to renovate it. Although I must tell you that the dwelling is fine: it has electricity and water… I mean that all these reports claiming that it is a substandard dwelling are false. I have also seen that they took photographs of a shored-up staircase. The props are simply to be able to place some planks to act as a railing, nothing more. It is for more safety. It was they themselves who were subletting the rooms as they were making them.

Did you not know that 30 people lived inside?

— About four months ago, some neighbors from the area warned me that people had entered and occupied the house. On July 8th, I hired a private company in charge of carrying out evictions and I paid them 6,000 euros, because I was fed up with it. This is verifiable... Look, here I have the papers.

However, when the National Police entered on August 28th, they still found people there…

— Because the company I am telling you about gave the occupants a few days to leave voluntarily. Furthermore, when the Police entered, they found seven people in the dwelling, not 30, as the media says.

This is stated in the note that the Government made public.

— Well, they are not telling the truth.

Are you aware that there were structures and partitions, even on the deck, to accommodate more people?

— The house was locked. They broke in and I tried to act as soon as I found out. Right now there is no one there. The only thing they have left me is damage, trash, and filth everywhere, which I will now have to remove. In the end, between the payment to the company and the money I had to pay to get them to leave, I have spent 17,000 euros. Now I will have to shell out another 50,000 to clean up and renovate the house a little. All of this will have cost me almost 70,000 euros. I have been cleaning the house and taking out bags of trash for days. If we don't go to live there with the family, I will sell the house. I don't want to have any more problems.

Did you pay them to leave?

— Last June, I hired a lawyer to inform the occupants that they had to vacate the property and that, if they did so, they would be paid an amount of 200 euros as aid. He also communicated to them that, if they did not do so within a month, we would take the relevant legal actions against them. He invited them to find a negotiated solution… After this month had passed, I asked them to hand over the keys to me amicably. By being nice, I have achieved nothing. They are the ones who have made a business out of my house and, instead of having been reported, they have reported me.

You are also the owner of the Cas Rector plot, located behind the Manacor racetrack, where half a year ago a small settlement of 11 shanties was found.

— That's right. It was the same procedure as in this case. They occupied the lot, they tell each other about it, and they sublet the dwellings. I wasn't collecting any rent either... Do you think that if I were collecting all that, I would be working every day in an internet cafe? I wouldn't be here anymore. In any case, this matter you are speaking to me about is pending before the Justice system.