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Join on Telegram Rabat – In the wake of the media fallout surrounding the Pegasus Project affair, former head of the French Central Directorate of Domestic Intelligence (DCRI) Bernard Squarcini suggests it is unlikely that Morocco is using the Israeli software to spy on senior French officials.
Speaking on Europe1, Squarcini explained that he does not “believe too much” in the allegations against the North African country. French media have accused Rabat of having infiltrated the phones of both Moroccan and foreign public figures, including the French President Emanuel Macron, using Israeli-made software.
French accusations
“[The accusation] is too easy,” Squarcini said. As he sees it, pointing to Morocco as the mastermind behind the systematic spying operation is either disingenuous or diversionary. Should the allegations of spying on senior French officials prove true, he appeared to argue, there is a high probability that Morocco was not the source.
“So are you saying that there is more to the story than is being reported; that accusing Morocco is a way of choosing an easy target to conceal the real origins?” the Europe 1 interviewer asked Squarcini.
In response, the former chief of French intelligence offered a sober, almost detached reply that suggested his apparent belief that either the spying allegations are not genuine, or there is much more to the story that is being deliberately left out to focus on Morocco. “Morocco is a partner,” Squarcini said of the strong ties between Paris and Rabat, adding, “it [Morocco] is backed by other major countries, other major powers with which it cooperates.”
On Monday, July 19, the non-profit Forbidden Stories, which regroups 17 media partners, published a report suggesting widespread spying by various world governments, including Morocco, using Israeli-developed malware.
Le Monde and France Info both allege that Morocco may have been spying on President Emmanuel Macron and various French ministers using their mobile phones, an accusation which Morocco has strongly denied.
In response to the latest series of accusations, the Moroccan government stressed it categorically “rejects all false and unfounded” allegations spread by Amnesty International and the Forbidden Stories group.
Foreign motivations?
Algerian journalist and political analyst Oualid Kebir has presented the accusations as a move to discredit Morocco in an attempt to diminish the country’s growing political clout. “Accusing Morocco of spying in the Pegasus affair without clear evidence confirms that there is a plan to curb the country, which has become a rising power in recent years,” Kebir told Morocco World News.
The Algerian analyst sees the affair as motivated by officials in Europe, claiming that Morocco’s growing economy and diplomatic power “is hated by some European parties who have recently expressed their dissatisfaction with the American recognition of the Moroccan Sahara.”
Kebir highlighted that “the companies that produce these programs are legally protected by the countries that host the journalists who investigated the Pegasus case.” He further argued that the move is similar to “western efforts against Turkey over the past two decades .”
Pegasus project
Forbidden Stories’ investigation was reportedly done using more than 50,000 phone numbers belonging to suspected spying victims. The original report suggests that various governments targeted activists, lawyers, and journalists.
Le Monde and France Info reported that French President’s number, which has been in use since 2017, was “on a list selected by the security services of Morocco, which was a customer of Pegasus software.”
A spokesperson for the Elysee Palace, Macron’s official residence, said: “If these allegations are confirmed, then they are obviously very serious.”
French prosecutors at a Parisian criminal court announced impending investigations into the original Forbidden Stories report which further alleged that Morocco was also targeting French journalists.
In response to the initial report, Morocco’s government issued a communique adamantly denying any spying allegations. The government said it was “surprised” to see such libel and accused the Forbidden Stories consortium of using “fake materials” to smear Morocco.
“It is not possible, by the power of the constitution, to authorize access to the content of personal communications, publishing them, or using them against anyone, except by a judicial order issued by the independent judicial authority, and in accordance with the conditions and provisions provided by law,” read the government’s statement.
