Spanish Court Upholds Denial of Citizenship to Alleged Moroccan Spy

In a ruling handed down on September 14 and accessed by Europa Press, the Audiencia Nacional rejected the appeal filed by the Moroccan against the 2019 decision of the Ministry of Justice to refuse him Spanish nationality for "reasons of public order or national interest." The department justifies its decision by citing "the close collaboration of the Moroccan, since his arrival at the Moroccan consulate in Madrid in 2016 as a local agent, with the current head of Moroccan intelligence services in Spain."

The Moroccan argued in his appeal against this decision that he is married to a Moroccan naturalized Spanish citizen and has two children, "both of Spanish nationality," that "he has worked since 2010 as an interpreter at the Moroccan Consulate General in Seville," that the public prosecutor "does not oppose the granting of Spanish nationality," that the civil registry of Seville guarantees that he "understands the Spanish language, has good civic conduct, is integrated into Spanish life and has means of subsistence," and has never been arrested by the national police.

But according to a report from the National Intelligence Center (CNI), the Moroccan would have ties with the Moroccan intelligence services in Spain. An accusation refuted by the Moroccan who believes that the report does not provide any details on his alleged "collaboration" with Moroccan intelligence. "The vagueness of the report does not allow to assess the impact of the activity on national security," argued the Moroccan, requesting the annulment of the Ministry of Justice’s decision refusing him Spanish nationality and the granting of it.

For the Audiencia Nacional, however, "the content of the CNI report is clear enough. It refers to the applicant’s activities as a local agent of the Moroccan intelligence services." The court considers that the refusal of the Ministry of Justice to grant nationality to the Moroccan is "fully justified" and "in accordance with the law", thus rejecting the Moroccan’s request.