Former top official in Chile is arrested on rape charges in a blow to President Boric

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy A former senior official in Chile's government was arrested Thursday on suspicion of rape, authorities said, in a case that has shocked the South American country and dented domestic support for leftist President Gabriel Boric. He stepped down on Oct. 17 when prosecutors announced they had launched an investigation into the female official’s complaint, touching off public outrage and putting further pressure on Boric, a 38-year-old millennial ex-student protest leader who took office in 2022 promising to create a “feminist government.” For over two and a half years, Monsalve, a doctor and former socialist activist, was at the forefront of the government's campaign against a recent gang-driven crime wave that has rattled Chile, long considered one of Latin America's safest and most stable nations. President Boric, who testified as a witness in the case last week, responded to the arrest of his former top official with a brief post on social media platform X that did not name Monsalve. Boric's government has come under fire for its handling of the case, with the president waiting two days after the allegations surfaced to dismiss Monsalve from his post and giving a widely criticized news conference in which he revealed that Monsalve had requested to view hotel security footage before the plaintiff had even lodged the complaint.