Moroccan official media reported on Wednesday that the Public Prosecutor’s Office stated it will open an investigation into what it described as "false allegations and accusations" that Morocco used an Israeli spyware program for surveillance operations. Rabat denied purchasing or using the Pegasus program produced by the Israeli company NSO Group, after Amnesty International and 17 international media organizations reported that it was used to target thousands of mobile phones.
In a statement published by the Maghreb Arab Press, the Public Prosecutor’s Office said it "issued instructions to the Attorney General to open a judicial investigation into the allegations contained in news materials issued by foreign newspapers, which attributed accusations to the Moroccan public authorities and implicated national constitutional institutions in matters affecting the higher interests of the Kingdom of Morocco."
It added that it ordered "the disclosure of the circumstances, background, and context of the publication of these accusations and allegations in order to determine responsibilities and legal consequences based on the findings."
The Moroccan government had strongly condemned "the continued, misleading, intensive, and suspicious media campaign promoting allegations of the hacking of mobile devices belonging to several national and foreign figures using a software program."
The French newspaper Le Monde reported on Tuesday that President Emmanuel Macron's phone was targeted in a surveillance operation allegedly on behalf of Morocco using the Pegasus program, which could damage Rabat's relations with a key European ally following recent disputes with Spain and Germany.
The non-profit journalism group Forbidden Stories stated that King Mohammed VI and other members of the royal family were also targeted by a Moroccan client of NSO. NSO denied the claims in the report, stating, "It is filled with false assumptions and unverified theories," adding that the program is intended for use by official intelligence agencies and law enforcement to combat terrorism and crime.
A report by Amnesty International indicated last June that Morocco had used this Israeli program, which Rabat strongly denied and called for the organization to provide evidence of Morocco's involvement in the matter. A report by Human Rights Watch last year also indicated that Morocco had used it to spy on journalists and opposition figures, including Omar Radi, who was sentenced by a Moroccan court on Monday to six years in prison on charges of sexual assault and espionage.
