Ex-Chief of Staff to Spain's Sánchez Charged in Judicial Destabilization Probe

A judge at Spain's National Court has formally charged Juan Manuel Serrano, the former chief of staff to Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez within the Socialist party (PSOE), and ex-president of the public postal company Correos. Serrano faces accusations of playing a "preeminent" role in an alleged scheme to destabilize judicial proceedings that implicated the PSOE and Sánchez's administration.

The accusation stems from a new report submitted by the UCO, the Guardia Civil's elite investigative unit, to Judge Santiago Pedraz. Following the report's findings, the magistrate officially charged Serrano in the ongoing judicial investigation, according to legal sources.

Judge Pedraz has also authorized investigators to access and analyze the contents of Serrano's mobile phone, a request supported by the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office. Serrano served as Pedro Sánchez's chief of staff at the PSOE from 2014 to 2016 and again from 2017 to 2018, during which time the party was in opposition. He later headed Correos until 2023.

Serrano is implicated in the branch of the case concerning "obtaining benefits in the business sphere of SEPI," the state holding company that oversees public enterprises like Correos. The UCO alleges his involvement in a supposed organization dedicated to sabotaging judicial cases, an investigation known as the "Leire case." This case centers on Leire Díez, a former socialist militant accused of maneuvering against prosecutors and UCO agents investigating government and PSOE-related matters, as well as alleged kickbacks in public contracts.