After 19 Months, ‘No Proof Provided’ By Those Who Accused Morocco In Pegasus Case: Lawyer

Paris, february 19 (TNA) Morocco is once again in the spotlight for a case that has made a lot of noise in recent months. Indeed, the Cherifian Kingdom had been accused by some French media and NGOs of having used the spyware "Pegasus" in a gigantic enterprise of international destabilization. Nineteen months after the facts, "no evidence has been provided" by the accusers, according to Olivier Baratelli, lawyer of the Kingdom in France.

At a press conference in Paris, Baratelli denounced a "great manipulation of information" and a "gigantic rumor" that has targeted Morocco and its administrations. He recalled that Morocco had immediately launched legal proceedings for defamation against 'Forbiden Stories' and 'Amnesty International' (AI), as well as the media Le Monde, France Info, the investigation unit of France Inter, Médiapart and Humanité.

These cases were argued and reargued on February 15 before the Paris Court of Appeals, with a "real impression of listening" on the part of the judges, who are due to deliver their judgments on April 12. "We really have great confidence in the decisions that will be rendered," said the lawyer.

To support their thesis, some journalists had filed a complaint at the same time of the dissemination of information, a situation "ubiquitous and unbelievable", he noted. The Kingdom's lawyers in France presented all the evidence that Morocco has never purchased, acquired or used directly or indirectly Pegasus, and the prosecutor of the Republic eventually considered that it was necessary to open this case more widely and opened a judicial investigation that was entrusted in September 2022 to two investigating magistrates.

"Morocco joined as a civil party on February 6. We are a party to this case and we will be able to work, hand in hand, with the investigating judges to completely dismantle this rumor and close the door once and for all of this media rumor, "said the lawyer. In sum, this case highlights the importance of a thorough and rigorous investigation to avoid false accusations and media manipulation. Morocco is now awaiting the decisions of the Paris Court of Appeal and hopes that this case will be resolved quickly.