General Directorate National Police dismisses state commissioner Luis Felipe San Martín Fernández-Marcote of Santa Cruz de Tenerife after a complaint of ill-treatment filed by a chief inspector who has a business dispute with him. The case centers on allegations that the chief inspector, who leads the Provincial Judicial Police Brigade in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, faced obstacles when trying to report an incident connected to the accused officer.
A woman identified as a potential victim of gender-based violence reported that in December 2021 she was threatened by the commissioner during what she described as jealousy-driven arguments. The report indicates she sought help from the Investigative Area of the Family and Women’s Care Unit and encountered difficulties accessing the security unit’s facilities in Gran Canaria. The investigator handling the complaint has had multiple contentious interactions with San Martín Fernández-Marcote in recent months as part of ongoing inquiries.
The formal complaint was filed at UFAM facilities on a Wednesday, December 6, by the chief inspector who says he became aware of perceived ill-treatment during the execution of his duties. He also noted that the complainant sought assistance to pursue the case as a moral, ethical, and professional obligation.
The chief inspector has recently been at odds with the provincial commissioner, particularly after suspending coordination of the so-called Mediator Case. This involves a workplace harassment claim against the head of the Provincial Judicial Police Brigade of the Computer Crime Squad. During the internal review, authorities examined the matter but found no irregularities in the behavior of the chief inspector according to the Madrid National Police’s Ministry of Internal Affairs.
UFAM investigators were provided with a pen drive containing a video, a frame, and an audio file recorded by the alleged victim. The material was handed over by the woman, who is described as Lithuanian, and is meant to support the claims she has made in connection with gender-based violence allegations.
The Santa Cruz de Tenerife Violence Against Women Court is set to summon the woman to testify. The judge will verify the credibility of the statements, review the circumstances around why the complaint was not reported earlier, and determine whether the video is original or altered. Other issues for examination include the authenticity of the audio-visual material and the context in which it was recorded.
According to the complaint, the woman sent a WhatsApp message in mid-October proposing to meet the chief inspector in Tenerife to discuss the alleged violence. The subsequent meeting occurred a few days later, during which the former partner of the county commissioner reported ongoing harassment. Allegations of gender-based violence are said to have occurred in 2021, with December marked as the period of greatest intensity. The complainant asserts that threats were made with a firearm during frequent jealous outbursts.
The affected person says they have lived in fear since those events and that the situation intensified after a later encounter at an awards ceremony in Puerto de la Cruz, where an intimidating attitude was observed. It is also noted that a WhatsApp message was sent but later deleted by the commissioner before it could be read by the former partner. The complainant claims to have experienced panic and fear given the officer’s rank and position.
Concerns persist about the officer’s potential reactions if the judicial process proceeds, though the complainant stands ready to testify if called. The video supplied to UFAM is reported to have been recorded in December 2021 on Robayna Street, Cruz de Tenerife, at a location associated with the Santa Provincial Police Station, where the commissioner carries out duties. The complainant admitted recording the video without the commissioner’s knowledge and indicated that the person shown was under the influence of substances at the time.
The day after the recording, it is claimed that the individual left the area to visit relatives in the south of Tenerife. The case remains under review by the Santa Cruz de Tenerife Violence Against Women Court, which will determine the legal relevance of the video and related statements, along with any additional inquiries required to establish the facts surrounding the alleged events.
In office since 2021
At the end of 2021, Luis Felipe San Martín Fernández-Marcote was appointed provincial chief commissioner of the National Police in Santa Cruz de Tenerife. He succeeded the then-chief commissioner Ignacio Badenas, following the retirement of Gil de Reboleño. Fernández-Marcote previously led the Las Palmas de Gran Canaria Citizen Security Brigade and served as state commissioner in Las Palmas.