Spanish Court Makes New Copy of Ex-Postal Chief's Phone
Listen to the story
Spain's National Court has made a new copy of a mobile phone belonging to Juanma Serrano, the former president of the postal company Correos.
The court took this step after Serrano refused to accept an earlier copy of the phone. That first copy was made by the UCO, a special police unit that investigates crimes.
Serrano said this earlier copy was irregular, meaning it had not been made following the correct legal process.
Because of this disagreement, judge Pedraz ordered a new, official copy of the phone's data. This process is sometimes called a clone, since it creates an exact digital copy.
The judge wants to preserve any messages on the phone that could be relevant to the so-called 'Leire case'. This means keeping the information safe so it cannot be lost or changed.
The case is a legal investigation being handled by the National Court, a special court in Spain that deals with serious or sensitive cases.
Alongside this, the UCO has also collected messages from another person connected to the case: the former chief of staff to Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez.
A chief of staff is a senior aide who manages the daily work of a top government official.
At this stage, the exact content of the messages has not been made public. It remains unclear what role, if any, they will play in the wider investigation.
The case continues, and further developments are expected as the National Court proceeds with its inquiry.
Vocabulary10 words
- National Court
- a special, very important court in Spain
- UCO
- a Spanish police group that investigates serious crimes
- irregular
- not done in the correct or legal way
- clone
- an exact digital copy of data
- preserve
- to keep something safe from being lost
- chief of staff
- a senior helper who manages a leader's work
- investigation
- official work to discover facts about a possible crime
- judge
- a person with power to decide legal matters in court
- inquiry
- a formal process to find out information
- aide
- a person who helps an important official
Quiz
Answer key
1. Serrano rejected the first copy as irregular 2. To keep them safe for the investigation 3. True
Fill-in-the-blank listening
Play the audio again and fill in the missing words as you listen.
Spain's National Court has made a new _____ of a mobile phone belonging to Juanma Serrano.
The court acted after Serrano refused to accept an earlier _____ made by the UCO.
Serrano said this earlier copy was _____, meaning it broke legal rules.
Judge Pedraz ordered a new, official copy of the phone's _____.
The judge wants to _____ any messages relevant to the case.
This process is sometimes called a _____, since it creates an exact digital copy.
The UCO has also collected messages from the former _____ to Pedro Sánchez.
A chief of staff is a senior _____ who manages daily government work.
The exact content of the messages has not been made _____.
The case _____, with more developments expected.
Discussion questions
- Why might it be important for courts to preserve digital evidence carefully?
- What problems can happen if a phone copy is not made following correct procedures?
- How might messages from a chief of staff be relevant to a political investigation?
- Do you think ordinary citizens should be informed about ongoing high-profile investigations like this? Why or why not?