Juan Manuel Serrano appeals mobile phone cloning in court

Juan Manuel Serrano, the former chief of staff for Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez and former president of Correos, has filed an appeal with the Audiencia Nacional to annul the cloning of his mobile phone.

Serrano’s defense argues that the initial seizure of his iPhone 15 Pro-Max by the Civil Guard’s UCO unit in May was conducted without a judicial warrant and under imperative circumstances. They further contend that a subsequent data extraction performed in August, even though conducted in the presence of his lawyer, cannot rectify the initial legal violation.

The defense is requesting the definitive destruction or inutilization of the two data copies obtained during the investigation into the ‘Leire Díez case’ and the immediate return of the device. They have also raised concerns regarding the chain of custody, suggesting that the prolonged period the phone was held by investigators without external supervision could have allowed for undocumented access or data manipulation.