A Spanish judge has formally charged Juan Manuel "Juanma" Serrano, the former chief of staff to Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, in a corruption probe [1].
The imputation of Serrano, who also served as the former president of Correos, marks a significant escalation in the Leire Díez case. The investigation targets a suspected scheme to destabilize judicial proceedings that could negatively impact the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE), or the national government [1, 2].
Judge Santiago Pedraz of the Audiencia Nacional in Madrid issued the decision on June 10, 2026 [1]. As part of the judicial proceedings, Pedraz authorized a forensic analysis of Serrano's mobile phone to uncover evidence related to the alleged corruption network [1, 2].
The move follows a formal request from the Fiscalía Anticorrupción, the specialized anti-corruption prosecutor's office [1]. Prosecutors said that the network operated to protect political interests by interfering with the judiciary [1, 2].
This development is part of a broader judicial push to uncover systemic interference. Pedraz has scheduled approximately 20 interrogations within the Leire Díez case to determine the full extent of the influence peddling [3].
Serrano's role as a high-ranking official within the administration of Pedro Sánchez places the current government under increased scrutiny. The Audiencia Nacional continues to examine how the suspected scheme functioned, and which other officials may have been involved in the effort to manipulate legal outcomes [1, 3].
“The investigation targets a suspected scheme to destabilize judicial proceedings.”
The imputation of a former chief of staff suggests that the Leire Díez case is moving beyond low-level operatives to target the inner circle of the Spanish executive. By focusing on the destabilization of judicial cases, the probe examines whether the state's administrative power was weaponized to shield the governing party from legal accountability, potentially creating a constitutional crisis regarding the separation of powers in Spain.
