Spanish govt under fire as police chief quits accused of rape

Spain’s leftist government, which has

championed the fight against gender-based violence, grappled with another sex scandal on Feb 18 after a police chief it appointed resigned, accused of raping a woman colleague.

The latest setback lengthens a string of sexual harassment scandals that have embarrassed Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez’s ruling Socialists, while ongoing corruption investigations have threatened to topple his minority coalition.

Jose Angel Gonzalez, the second most senior police officer who was appointed in 2018, quit on Feb 17 after Spanish media reported a junior woman colleague had filed a complaint against him in January for an alleged rape in April 2025.

A judge has summoned him as part of the investigation, they added.

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