Spain’s Public Prosecutor’s Office for Corruption Offences (Anticorrupción) has opposed the return of the mobile phone belonging to Juan Manuel Serrano . A submission that became public on 22 October 2026, reported by EFE among others, says that the device is an “original source of potentially relevant information” and has an objective connection to the ongoing investigation.
The move opposes Serrano’s appeal, in which he applied for the seized phone to be returned. In September 2026, the investigating judge had already Santiago Pedraz refused to return it. The judge argued that the device could provide a lead or physical evidence of the alleged commission of several offences. Anticorrupción now explicitly cites the need to secure the phone so that the parties to the proceedings can examine it and request further forensic analyses.
The case forms part of the so-called Causa Leire, an investigation being conducted by the Audiencia Nacional with several strands. According to court statements, these include suspicions of influencing or obstructing proceedings, as well as possible acts of influence that investigators have in some instances considered to be embedded in a criminal structure. No findings of criminal liability have been made; the investigation is ongoing.
Serrano, formerly chief of staff to Pedro Sánchez at the PSOE party headquarters and former president of the state-owned postal company Correos, was named as a suspect on 10 July 2026. According to a police report, communications data were secured during a search, including, investigators say, extensive messages with the main suspect, Leire Díez. The prosecution has not made any independent analysis of the content of this data public in its latest submission.
Serrano’s defence criticises the seizure and so-called cloning of the device, and alleges procedural errors. It is seeking the return of the original phone. No final decision has yet been made on the appeal against the investigating judge’s ruling. Anticorrupción counters that continued safekeeping is necessary to ensure the evidence is handled properly. What legal consequences might follow from any later analysis remains unclear.
Causa Leire has generated considerable political and media coverage in Spain since summer 2026. All those accused are presumed innocent unless and until a court rules otherwise in a final judgment.
Editor: Mira Cadena (Article created with AI assistance).