Morocco Denies Pegasus Spyware Use, Takes Legal Action Against Spanish Accusers

The law firm said in a statement that it has been mandated by Morocco to take legal action before the Spanish courts for the "repeated publication on Spanish territory of false, malicious and prejudicial allegations of espionage against the Kingdom of Morocco and some of its citizens and officials."

The lawyers for Morocco have assured that the kingdom "has never acquired or used" the Pegasus spyware from the Israeli company NSO and that "those who have claimed the contrary will have to answer for it before the courts of justice."

The Moroccan public prosecutor’s office announced on July 22 the opening of an investigation into the "false" allegations of espionage against French President Emmanuel Macron in order to "determine responsibilities and draw the legal consequences." For its part, the Moroccan government has asked Amnesty International and the Forbidden Stories media network, which published the investigation on the use of Pegasus, to provide "tangible evidence" of their accusations against Morocco.

According to the investigation published by the Washington Post and many other network media, more than 50,000 phones worldwide, belonging to political figures, journalists, activists and businessmen, would have been victims of espionage with the Pegasus software from the Israeli company NSO, which has moreover categorically denied these allegations.