“For the first time in years, they do not control the information that is going to be published.” The situation at the top of the National Police, summarized by several sources consulted, is one of “tension” and “panic.” After the resignation of the deputy operational director (DAO), José Ángel González, due to a complaint of alleged sexual assault of a subordinate, the mood has gone from the initial “shock” to the subsequent sadness, but now it is moving towards concern.
“This could be the thunder box,” summarizes one command. These days, different information is circulating both around the figure of “Jota”, as the former DAO is known, and other senior officials, all appointed by the resigned top operational chief. There is “a lot of contaminated merchandise”, in relation to the rumors that circulate the Madrid police stations that point to members of the Government Board or superior bosses who would have engaged in “similar behavior” or who were aware of the alleged violation and would have covered it up. “Pending accounts are being settled,” summarizes another senior official with years in the Corps.
While the hidden movements to be named the next deputy operational director continue to occur, the leadership of the Ministry of the Interior saw this Tuesday how the alleged victims multiplied. The lawyer of the attacked agent reported that another woman contacted him to tell him that she was also harmed by “Jota’s” behavior. At the close of this edition, no data had been revealed, although some sources suggest that it would be a case of “workplace harassment” and not sexual.
As detailed by the lawyer in different interviews, at least three more women have contacted him to “report terrible situations, workplace harassment and even sexual assaults allegedly committed by senior police officers.” The lawyer also explained to RTVE that many of these events would have been reported through the internal anti-harassment protocol of the National Police, but that “that has not worked.”
Piedrafita maintains that the matter is no longer limited to an isolated case, but could be a pattern of behavior within the police leadership. The lawyer indicated that he has received messages from numerous members of the Police, addressed to both him and his client, and claimed to be receiving pressure and intimidating messages for defending his client in the case of alleged sexual assault against José Ángel González.
According to his version, in recent days he has received notices “to be careful with what he is doing”, in direct reference to his work in the judicial procedure. Despite these messages, the lawyer maintains that he has no intention of leaving the case. “My obligation is to clarify the truth and accompany the victim so that these events have the judicial response they deserve,” he stated. As he explained, the threats do not come from an identifiable sender: “They are subtle messages that reach your environment, without a signature, without a clear origin, but with an obvious intention.” Piedrafita insists that this type of pressure will not alter his commitment.
The lawyer also warned the court of the vulnerable situation in which his client finds herself after the “leakage of personal data” that should be protected.
In a letter sent to the judge, he denounces “the reprehensible situation” generated by the dissemination of sensitive information and requests that all evidence be kept strictly confidential, so that it can only be consulted in court and in the presence of the Attorney of the Administration of Justice.
Piedrafita has delivered to the magistrate a set of evidentiary elements that it considers essential to advance the investigation. Among them, a list of calls that the former DAO would have made to the complainant, screenshots of WhatsApp messages mentioned in the complaint and audio recordings provided by the victim herself.