Margarita Robles Denounces Baseless Accusations Against Morocco in the Pegasus Affair

Spanish Defense Minister Margarita Robles has firmly rejected accusations by the Popular Party (PP) against Morocco, which it holds responsible for infecting the mobile phones of several members of the Spanish government, including President Pedro Sánchez and the minister herself, via Pegasus spyware. During a session of the National Security Joint Committee held on December 10, 2024, in Madrid, Robles reminded that “assigning responsibility is solely the judiciary’s domain, not a matter for parliamentary debate.”

Ongoing investigations, led by Judge José Luis Calama, address infections that occurred between 2020 and 2021, affecting the phones of several Spanish officials, including the Ministers of Defense, Interior, and Agriculture. These investigations, initially stalled due to Israel’s lack of judicial cooperation, were reactivated after new information was provided by French authorities. However, Robles emphasized that no tangible evidence links Morocco to the attacks, calling for greater caution in public accusations.

Indeed, PP deputy José Enrique Núñez Guijarro recently claimed that 2.5 gigabytes of data had been stolen from President Pedro Sánchez’s mobile phone, linking the incident to alleged foreign interference and directly pointing to Morocco. In response, Robles strongly criticized these “groundless” accusations, reminding that vulnerability to cyberattacks is not unique to Spain. She added that these incidents are more likely caused by global threats rather than by a specific nation.

In her statement, Robles highlighted that France has also been affected by the same spyware, underscoring the international nature of these cyberattacks. She specified that since the start of the judicial process, the National Cryptologic Center (CCN) has submitted ten technical reports to the National Court to shed light on these incidents. None of these reports have, so far, established a direct link between Morocco and the infections of the devices.

Robles concluded by stressing the importance of cooperating with all stakeholders, including Morocco, to clarify these attacks in a spirit of transparency and mutual trust. According to her, “pointing fingers at a country without evidence does nothing to aid the investigation and can harm our strategic relations.” The minister thus reiterated the need for a fact-based and responsible approach to address this sensitive issue.