The Investigative Police of Chile arrested former Undersecretary (Deputy Minister) of the Interior, Manuel Monsalve, at his home today amid a legal process against him for alleged sexual abuse and rape. The Chilean judiciary issued an arrest warrant for the former official on Thursday morning, who was detained in his apartment located in the coastal city of Viña del Mar, in the Valparaíso region (central).
The President of Chile, Gabriel Boric, stated that "In Chile, no one is above the law." During the process, Boric testified as a witness before the Prosecutor's Office in his office at La Moneda Palace, the seat of the Executive, in the city of Santiago. Monsalve will be transferred on Thursday to the headquarters of the Sexual Crimes Investigation Brigade, in the capital municipality of Ñuñoa, where he must provide his testimony or exercise his right to remain silent, and then he will be notified of the charges against him.
The former undersecretary resigned from his position in the Government on October 17, after being accused by a subordinate in the ministry on October 14. At that time, Monsalve assured the press that he submitted his resignation to "guarantee the autonomy of the institutions," due to his direct connection with the police and the Public Ministry.