The shell company set to merge with Donald Trump’s media group has agreed to pay a business owned by its interim chief executive $15,000 a month for office space at a property located in a luxury gated community in Puerto Rico.

Digital World Acquisition Corporation struck an agreement earlier this month with Renatus Advisors to rent office space at 90 Candelero Drive in Humacao, according securities filings, a residential property in a beach resort that boasts golf courses and a beach club The agreement also covers secretarial and administrative support.

Renatus, which is also registered at the same address, was founded by Eric Swider who lives in Puerto Rico and was named interim CEO at DWAC after the contract of his predecessor Patrick Orlando was terminated. The agreement between the Swider and DWAC was signed two weeks after he took the top job.

DWAC, Renatus and Swider did not respond to a request for comment.

DWAC, a special purpose acquisition company set up by Orlando, announced it would merge with Trump Media & Technology Group in October 2021 in a deal that was expected to provide more than $1bn in funding to Trump’s company. However, the transaction has not yet been completed amid investigations from federal prosecutors and the US Securities and Exchange Commission.

In September, DWAC changed its listed address from a WeWork location in Miami’s Brickell City Centre to a mailbox at a UPS Store in the Coconut Grove neighbourhood.

The company was at the time trying to persuade shareholders to vote in favour of a one-year extension that would allow more time to get the deal done. It ultimately resorted to borrowing almost $3mn from its own sponsors to extend the deadline for three months and allow investors more time to vote.

DWAC appears to have had issues paying its bills on several occasions, including money owed to proxy solicitors Saratoga Proxy Consulting. In March it was faced with a stock exchange delisting over unpaid fees to Nasdaq, which it has since rectified.

Swider has reshuffled DWAC’s board since he took over as interim CEO in late March. The company has disclosed in regulatory filings that it has appointed Frank Andrews, who joined the board in January and is described as an “independent media consultant” as non-executive chair.

DWAC has also brought on Katherine Chiles as chief financial officer, a role previously held by Brazilian politician Luis Orleans-Braganza. According to her LinkedIn profile, Chiles was last employed in 2018 when she spent just over a year as a reporting analyst for utilities group Actavo.

“I am happy to see the board taking a very proactive position in strengthening our corporate governance structure,” Swider said in a statement announcing the appointments.