Juan Manuel Serrano challenges mobile phone cloning in Audiencia Nacional

Juan Manuel Serrano, the former chief of staff to Pedro Sánchez and former president of Correos, has filed an appeal with the Audiencia Nacional to nullify the seizure and cloning of his mobile phone. His defense argues that the initial seizure on May 27 was unauthorized and occurred before he was under investigation. Furthermore, they claim the subsequent cloning by the UCO (Central Operative Unit) violated judicial orders by not being conducted in his presence.

Judge Santiago Pedraz previously acknowledged an “involuntary error” regarding the lack of Serrano's presence during the cloning process but ruled that such presence is not legally mandatory. The judge also ordered a second cloning to ensure procedural guarantees. While Serrano has requested the immediate return of his iPhone 15 Pro Max, arguing that agents confirmed the physical device is no longer necessary for the investigation, the UCO retains a digital copy for analysis.

The legal dispute is central to the ‘Caso Leire’ investigation, which examines Serrano’s alleged role in the hiring of Leire Díez and potential efforts to destabilize judicial investigations. The device is currently held in a safe at the Audiencia Nacional as investigators process over 250 GB of data to determine its relevance to the case.