Pegasus case: Morocco’s Public Prosecutor orders judicial investigation

The Presidency of the Public Prosecution gave, on Wednesday, its instructions to the Public Prosecutor at the Rabat Court of Appeal to open a judicial investigation into the false allegations published by some foreign newspapers, leveling accusations against Moroccan authorities and implicating national constitutional institutions in cases which undermine the Kingdom’s higher interests.

The order comes in response to some press reports and articles published by foreign newspapers, part of the “Forbidden Stories” media coalition, claiming that Morocco used the Pegasus spyware to illegally spy on persons of interest, including journalists, political activists, and foreign dignitaries.

These press reports and articles include serious accusations and allegations against the Moroccan public authorities and involve national constitutional institutions in cases undermining the higher interests of the Kingdom of Morocco, the Presidency of the Public Prosecution said in a statement Wednesday.

“Following the press release issued by the Moroccan government in which it denounces these allegations and accusations; and given their systematic recurrence targeting national law enforcement institutions in a manner that includes material and moral constituent elements of alleged crimes, incriminated and punished by the Moroccan Criminal Code, it gave written instructions to the public prosecutor at the Rabat Court of Appeal for the opening of a judicial inquiry into these false allegations and accusations and the identification of the parties behind their publication,” the statement added.

“On this basis, the public prosecutor at the Court of Appeal of Rabat gave instructions to the National Brigade of the Judicial Police to conduct a thorough investigation into the matter, in order to determine the circumstances and to shed light on the ins and outs of the publication of these accusations and allegations and establish the responsibilities as well as the legal consequences arising therefrom in the light of the results of the investigation,” underlined the statement.

The Moroccan government had earlier issued a statement vigorously condemning the persistence of the misleading, massive and malicious media campaign targeting Morocco.

The statement, the second in just few days, comes in response to the continuing media campaign, alleging infiltration of the telephone devices of several national and foreign public figures through a computer software.

The Government of the Kingdom of Morocco categorically rejects these false and unfounded allegations and challenges those who relay them, including Amnesty International and the “Forbidden Stories” coalition, as well as their supporters and protégés, to provide any tangible and material evidence to support their surrealistic stories, the statement said.

Morocco is again the target of this kind of hateful attacks, which betray the desire of some media and NGOs to put it under their orders and tutelage. To their great displeasure, this is not possible, the government argued, adding that Morocco, which has scored in recent years great achievements in many areas, will continue its momentum to strengthen its economic emergence and social development.

strong of its right and convinced of the validity of its position, the Kingdom has opted for a judicial process, in Morocco and internationally, against any party endorsing these false allegations, the government said.