Spain’s national police chief, Jose Angel Gonzalez, has resigned following a criminal complaint accusing him of raping a subordinate at an official residence, according to a report by El Pais.
A Madrid judge accepted the complaint from a junior female officer on Tuesday, opening a formal investigation into Gonzalez, the force’s second most senior commander. The officer alleges that Gonzalez sexually assaulted her in April 2025 after she was ordered, while on duty, to drive him to his official ministry-owned residence following a dinner with another senior officer. The complaint states the assault occurred inside the residence, that Gonzalez exploited his authority, and that the officer suffered injuries before escaping. It further claims she faced pressure not to report the incident from Gonzalez and other senior officials.
Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska confirmed the resignation, calling the accusation “so serious that, once known, his resignation was demanded.” Gonzalez has been summoned by the judge as part of the investigation.
The case adds to a series of sexual harassment scandals within Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez’s Socialist party. It also coincides with heightened political instability for Sanchez’s minority coalition government, which is contending with separate corruption probes. The governing Socialists suffered a significant electoral defeat in Aragon earlier this month, with right-wing opposition parties making substantial gains. This regional vote is the first of three key elections in areas currently governed by the conservative Popular Party (PP), with contests in Castilla y Leon in March and Andalusia in June. The opposition is framing these elections as a referendum on the prime minister’s leadership, underscoring the government’s weakening national support. The outcome of the investigation into Gonzalez will now be closely watched as a test of institutional accountability.
