French journalists Eric Laurent & Catherine Graciet convicted for blackmail against Morocco’s King

Eric Laurent and Catherine Graciet, two French journalists prosecuted in France for extortion and blackmail against Morocco’s King, were each sentenced to a 12-month prison sentence and a €10,000 fine.

The two journalists were being sued for asking several million euros in exchange for not publishing a book on the Kingdom in 2015.

In November 2017, the Court of Cassation, the highest French court, had recognized the validity of two recordings at the origin of the indictment of the two journalists. The judgment of the Court of Cassation had dismissed the two journalists, who had appealed for the invalidation of these recordings.

In addition to the recordings, the two journalists had been arrested by the French police in Paris, with each holding 40,000 euros in their pocket, after signing and handing over a document to a Moroccan lawyer.

In this document, they asked for two million euros not to publish a book hostile to Morocco and to stop “systematically harming Morocco by their writings and actions.”

At the origin of this embarrassing affair for French journalists, Eric Laurent had contacted the royal office to announce that he was about to publish, with Catherine Graciet, a book on Morocco. However, he hinted that they were ready to give up publishing the book in exchange for three million euros.

Morocco then organized meetings in Paris between the journalist and a lawyer representing the Moroccan side, during which Eric Laurent’s remarks were recorded. At the same time, Morocco had referred the case to French justice.

It was during a third meeting, held under the supervision of the French police, that an early payment of 80,000 euros was given to the two journalists, who accepted the money by signing a commitment not to write anything more on Morocco.

Eric Laurent, former correspondent for “Radio France” and “Le Figaro” magazine and author of several books, who is currently 75 years old, admitted, before the Paris Criminal Court on Monday, to a “moral error,” because, he said, he “agreed to be involved in this case,” but refuted “any criminal offense.”

Catherine Craciet admitted that “the envoy of the Moroccan state seduced her with his financial offer.”