The probe is supposed to investigate 10 charges, including whether there was a breach of personal privacy, fraudulent access to personal electronic devices, and criminal association.
A probe into allegations that Moroccan intelligence services used the Israeli malware Pegasus to spy on several French journalists has been opened on Tuesday, French prosecutors informed.
The probe is supposed to investigate 10 charges, including whether there was a breach of personal privacy, fraudulent access to personal electronic devices, and criminal association.
A legal complaint was filed by investigative website Mediapart, and investigative newspaper Le Canard Enchaine is set to follow suit. Morocco has, so far, denied the spying claims.
A collaborative investigation by consortium of 17 media houses across the world based on a leaked list of 50,000 phone numbers, claimed Monday that spying worldwide using the malware from the NSO Group had been far more extensive than previously thought. The media houses comprised of reputed newspapers such as The Washington Post, The Guardian and Le Monde.
Mediapart revealed that among those targeted by Moroccan intelligence services were its founder Edwy Plenel and one of its journalists.
Journalists working for other media organisations like Le Monde and Agence France-Presse were also targeted by the Moroccan security services.
Morocco denied the claims, saying it “never acquired computer software to infiltrate communication devices”.
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