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Interior Appoints Police Chief With 2003 Sexual Harassment Conviction to Lead Lleida

His eligibility persisted because the 2003 sentence imposed no disqualification from service.

Overview

  • The Interior Ministry confirmed that commissioner Antonio José Royo Subías took command of the National Police in Lleida on December 9.
  • Court records state he harassed a newly assigned subordinate in 1999, coercing sexual relations by leveraging his superior position and groping her during a group meal.
  • The Audiencia Provincial de Gipuzkoa convicted him in 2003 for aggravated sexual harassment, a ruling the Supreme Court upheld in 2004.
  • He received a €1,080 fine and a €3,000 payment to the victim, with no accessory disqualification, which allowed him to remain in the force and be promoted to commissioner in 2017.
  • A 2022 Penal Code reform added disqualification for comparable crimes but does not apply retroactively, and his past postings, including a UFAM-linked role and a 2021 Algeria embassy assignment, previously drew removals and union criticism.