Algeciras mayor summoned as suspect over sexual offence complaint on 23 October

A judge summons the mayor as a suspect

The Violence against Women court number 2 in Algeciras has cited Mayor José Ignacio Landaluce to testify on 23 October 2026 as a suspect (investigado) in a case of alleged crime against sexual freedom. The judge admitted for processing a complaint from a young PP member, who says the mayor touched her in his city hall office in July. Sources close to the case confirmed the summons to RTVE, and the complainant, who is on sick leave, is also to give her own statement to the judge. The judge has also cited two witnesses for 22 October: councillor Jacinto Muñoz, the PP secretary general in Algeciras, and the second deputy mayor, Patricia Bueno.

A second complaint at the Supreme Court

Another PP member filed a complaint in September with the Supreme Court, alleging two sexual assaults: one in 2020 at a medical centre owned by the mayor and one in 2021 at the city hall headquarters. The Supreme Court has referred that complaint to the prosecutor's office to determine whether there are signs of an offence and whether the court itself has jurisdiction. The jurisdiction question arises because Landaluce lost his status as senator for Cádiz when the chambers were dissolved ahead of the election. The Algeciras complaint is therefore a separate case, not a copy of the Supreme Court filing.

The PP breaks with its mayor

On Monday, 12 October, the PP in Cádiz asked Landaluce for his 'immediate resignation' after learning of the new complaint, according to El País. In a statement issued that day, the party said it had heard both complainants directly and gave them full credibility. Twelve of the 15 PP councillors signed a written request to the city council asking him to step down, and the same day they left the government. The three councillors who stayed were named deputy mayors, leaving a four-member executive. The twelve, together with Vox, have pushed a censure motion against the mayor.

El Mundo reports that several councillors knew of complaints from women for a long time before the party intervened, and that none of them escalated the matter to party leadership or triggered the internal anti-harassment protocols. Landaluce has governed the city since 2011, according to El País. In early October he announced he would stand again in the municipal elections, now outside the PP, without saying under which label.

The mayor and the party respond

Landaluce said this week that he did not know the details of the new complaints and rejected them outright. He argued that clearing one's name takes months or years, and that by then the headlines have already passed judgement.

It is a lie and I am innocent, but by the time you prove it, months or years pass.

Bruno García, the PP president in the province of Cádiz, said he was convinced the party had done the right thing in Algeciras. He described the situation as difficult, complex and unpleasant, with two complaints involving very important matters.

We have taken this decision and we are honestly proud of having taken it, because although things are sometimes difficult, they have to be done.

What comes next

The witnesses are due to testify on 22 October, and the mayor on 23 October. The Supreme Court complaint remains with the prosecutor's office while it decides whether there are signs of an offence and whether the court is competent. The censure motion pushed by the 12 councillors and Vox has no date in the reporting available. Landaluce's position as mayor is therefore still in place, but his own government has shrunk to four members, three of them PP councillors who stayed with him.