Royal Blackmail Scandal: Journalists Sentenced in Morocco King Case

The case dates back to the summer of 2015. While they were preparing a second book on the monarch after the success of "The Predator King", Éric Laurent had contacted the royal cabinet. After an initial meeting with an emissary from Morocco, the kingdom had filed a complaint. Two other meetings, secretly monitored by the police, were then organized.

During the third meeting, in the presence of the two journalists, a financial agreement of 2 million euros was signed for the abandonment of the book. At the end of this meeting, Éric Laurent and Catherine Graciet were arrested in possession of two envelopes each containing 40,000 euros in cash, a down payment on the agreed amount.

Before the courts, the two defendants have always denied making any threats, while acknowledging an "ethical error". However, their versions of the facts differ. Éric Laurent claimed that the idea of a "transaction" came from the Moroccan emissary and that he had consented to it, in agreement with his co-author, notably due to a "very difficult personal situation".

Catherine Graciet, for her part, claimed not to have been informed of the initial negotiations. She stated that she was "skeptical" and felt a "trap", but participated in the last meeting thinking she could find the material for a "scoop" on an attempt to corrupt journalists by the Palace.