Spanish Government Defends Morocco Against ‘Baseless’ Accusations by Popular Party

Doha – Spanish Defense Minister Margarita Robles has strongly criticized the Popular Party (PP) for attributing responsibility to Morocco in the Pegasus spyware case “without evidence,” marking the latest development in Spain’s consistent rejection of allegations against its North African neighbor.

During a recent parliamentary session, Robles rebuked PP representative José Enrique Núñez Guijarro for making “imputations to Morocco” without substantial proof, urging careful consideration when making such statements in “the seat of popular sovereignty.”

The defense minister confirmed that Spain’s National Intelligence Center (CNI) has submitted ten comprehensive reports to the investigating judge, with the most recent filed on October 23.

“The government and the National Intelligence Center have collaborated with justice at all times and will continue to do so,” Robles said, adding, “We were the victims.”

The case, which involves the alleged infection of mobile devices belonging to Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez and several cabinet members including Robles herself, was reopened by Spain’s National Court in late April.

The reopening followed the receipt of new information from French authorities, after an initial provisional closure in July 2023 due to “absolute” lack of cooperation from Israel.

This development aligns with Spain’s consistent position rejecting accusations against Morocco. Oscar Lopez, director of Spain’s Presidency Office, described such allegations as a “hoax and slander” as well as a “conspiracy theory” during his appearance last April at the Joint Committee on National Security in Congress.

Lopez expressed surprise at certain politicians promoting “suspicions and conspiracy theories” typically associated with the “extreme right.”

Supporting this stance, Spain’s 2023 Annual National Security Report made no reference to Morocco in its “Espionage” section, while explicitly mentioning intelligence activities by other countries such as China and Russia.

The report’s omission of Morocco challenges allegations about Rabat’s involvement in using Pegasus spyware against Spanish officials during the 2021 diplomatic tensions between the two countries.

The accusations originally emerged when NGOs Amnesty International and Forbidden Stories claimed Morocco had used Pegasus spyware to target activists, journalists, and foreign officials.

However, Morocco’s government has repeatedly called for evidence to support these claims, with the NGOs failing to present concrete proof of Morocco’s alleged involvement.

The investigation remains active under magistrate José Luis Calama, who has received a European Investigation Order (EIO) from French judicial authorities.

This document includes details of a 2021 investigation into multiple phone infections in France affecting journalists, lawyers, public figures, and government officials.

The Spanish National Court’s investigation continues as it awaits additional reports from the CNI, though Robles has noted that the information accessed through Pegasus was personal in nature and did not impact national security.