Former chief of staff to Sánchez charged in connection with judicial manipulation network
Juan Manuel Serrano allegedly maintained thousands of contacts with suspected ringleaders of a criminal network and diverted public funds from Spain's postal service.
Former chief of staff to Sánchez charged in connection with judicial manipulation network
The National Court has opened a formal investigation into Juan Manuel Serrano, a former close collaborator of Pedro Sánchez during his time leading the opposition, over his alleged involvement in a network that manipulated judicial processes and irregularly appropriated state resources. The decision by investigating judge Santiago Pedraz is supported by a substantial record of communications intercepted by the Guardia Civil.
According to information published by El Mundo, officers from the UCO have reconstructed an intensive exchange of messages between Serrano and Vicente Fernández, identified as the top official of the Hirurok group. Between Fernández's departure from Sepi in autumn 2019 and his arrest last December, the two exchanged 2,662 telephone contacts, averaging more than one call per day throughout that entire period.
During that time, Serrano held high-level positions in the public sector: first as head of Spain's principal state postal company and later as an executive in the department run by Óscar Puente. Fernández had no institutional or business representation that would justify such an intense professional relationship with someone occupying key positions in the administration.
Police reports suggest that the now-charged individual facilitated at least 270,000 euros of public origin to the organisation. The mechanism allegedly consisted of preferential contracting of a law firm in southern Spain linked to network members. In parallel, Serrano allegedly attended meetings convened by network leaders during moments of greatest political uncertainty for Sánchez, when the current head of government was considering stepping down from leadership.
The investigation has also traced thousands of exchanges between Serrano and Leire Díez, another central figure in the investigated structure. In addition to nearly ten thousand conventional messages, investigators located approximately fifteen hundred communications through more private platforms. Díez, who served as operational coordinator at the postal company, was the person who requested Serrano's presence when the political situation of the socialist leader became more precarious.
In his ruling, the judge emphasises the significance of Díez's irregular incorporation into the Correos team and Serrano's passivity regarding the assignment of projects to people connected to the network. These elements, combined with the demonstrated proximity to the suspected organisation leaders, tipped the balance towards his charging.
The judicial order now permits exhaustive analysis of the mobile device seized from Serrano at the end of May, a request backed by anti-corruption prosecutors. By contrast, the court has denied access to the mobile phone of socialist party manager Ana María Fuentes Pacheco, considering her participation to be limited to a secondary role. She maintains her status as a person under investigation, although the judge understands her actions were limited to providing logistical support without leading the criminal planning.
Finally, two administrative staff members of the political party have been excluded from the proceedings as potential defendants. The judge has called them to testify as witnesses, understanding that they carried out orders without knowledge of the unlawful nature of the operations they managed.
Source: El Mundo