The Pegasus case and how it could end with Pedro Sánchez due to a decision by France

@ElentirENG ES 4·25·2024 · 7:02 0

The letter published by Pedro Sánchez this Wednesday is causing a lot of talk not only about his wife, but about the Pegasus case.

The real reason for Sánchez's victimizing letter using his wife as an excuse
What did Morocco find in Pedro Sánchez's cell phone to humiliate him in this way?

Spying on Sánchez and several members of his government

Yesterday, the word "Pegasus" became a trend on Twitter in Spain after the publication of that letter, in reference to the spying on Sánchez's cell phone. I already commented here something about it yesterday, but now I am going to delve a little deeper into this case to determine to what extent it could be harmful to Sánchez.

The Pegasus case is known as the espionage of several members of the Spanish government with the Pegasus software, marketed by the Israeli company NSO Technologies and sold to state clients (that is, governments) with the theoretical purpose of using it against terrorist threats. In 2022 the Spanish government reported that this espionage extracted 2.6 GB of data from Sánchez's cell phone, 9 MB from Margarita Robles' cell phone, the Minister of Defense, and 6.3 GB from the mobile phone of Fernando Grande-Marlaska, the Minister of the Interior. According to the data provided by the government itself, these espionage occurred in 2021.

The government's lack of interest in knowing the origin of this espionage

The stolen information was considerable and exposed the lack of security in that government's cell phones. Then something very strange happened: the Spanish government showed little interest in investigating the matter. He did not even denounce the company that manufactured the spyware, and limited himself to file a complaint with Justice, but without showing willingness to collaborate to discover what happened. The Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares, did not even ask Morocco for explanations, identified as the main suspect in espionage.

The Minister of the Presidency, Félix Bolaños, Robles and Marlaska did not want to testify in person or by videoconference before the judge in the case, demanding to do so exclusively in writing. Likewise, the government tried to prevent an association of jurists from appearing as a popular accusation, given the possibility that they had access to intimate contents of the spied on members of the government, pressures that the judge rejected, pointing out that this espionage affected "the general interests", as "high-ranking organizations of the Nation and form of Government." On the other hand, in 2023 it was learned that the Ministry of Defense reset Robles' cell phone, thus hampering the investigation of the National Intelligence Center (CNI) into this case.

Sánchez's controversial transfers to Morocco after the spying on his mobile phone

The poor collaboration of the Sánchez government with the judge in the Pegasus case has a clear explanation. After these spies in 2021, the Sánchez government made some controversial decisions in relation to Morocco. The most notorious of all was the change in Spanish foreign policy on Western Sahara, betraying the mandate of the UN and adopting a position favorable to Morocco's demands. I also remembered yesterday the purchase of Russian oil through Morocco (with full knowledge by Sánchez of what the origin was); and the dissolution of an anti-drug unit of the Civil Guard in the Campo de Gibraltar region, which facilitated hashish drug trafficking from Morocco, which is now flooding the south from Spain.

France's very different response to similar espionage

It must be said that the Spanish government was not the only one spied on with the Pegasus software. The French president also suffered this espionage in 2021, but unlike what happened in Spain, Macron did show great interest in knowing the origin of espionage. As happened with the Spanish case, suspicions fell on Morocco. In fact, in November 2021, after that scandal and to appease France, Israel vetoed future sales of spyware to Morocco. It was a tacit way of recognizing that that country had been behind these espionage on the mobile phones of European governments.

In case there were any doubts, in May 2023 a European Parliament committee named Morocco as the author of this espionage. So, what we have are two very different reactions: while everything indicates that Sánchez gave in to Moroccan blackmail, Macron adopted a very different response and had several harsh telephone conversations with Mohamed VI, in which he even insulted the Alawite monarch when he gave him his word of honor that the Moroccan secret services had nothing to do with it. Today, relations between France and Morocco are very deteriorated.

France offers information to Spain and the Pegasus case is reopened

This is how we arrived at the news announced this Tuesday by the Spanish Judiciary: the distribution of the Pegasus case thanks to information provided by France , specifically thanks to the investigations carried out by the French National Agency for the Security of Information Systems (ANSSI), an interministerial agency dependent on the French prime minister.

Sánchez could fall if it is proven that he gave in to Moroccan extortion

This news comes at the worst possible time for Sánchez. The filing of that case was a relief for Sánchez and Morocco, since the Spanish government avoided possible responsibilities for giving in to blackmail and the African country could continue squeezing the Spanish socialist government.

If the judicial investigation ends up confirming that the espionage had its origin in Morocco, Sánchez would be seriously compromised. It would be clear that the government made serious decisions in foreign policy and security matters motivated by extortion, a fact that it would have also hidden from Justice, thereby incurring possible crimes. Even if it was never known what Morocco obtained from the cell phone of several members of the Spanish government, Sánchez and several of his ministers could face not only serious political but also criminal responsibilities, for having endangered the Civil Guard and the Spanish population for giving in to foreign blackmail.

It would not only be a national scandal, but also a European one

Furthermore, we would no longer only be facing a national scandal, such as the possible corruption and influence peddling of Sánchez's wife, but we would also be facing a European scandal, by calling into question the southern border of the European Union and the security of community citizens to give in to Morocco even on a matter related to drug trafficking.

Let us remember that two years ago the European Parliament was already strongly shaken by a bribery scandal from Morocco, a scandal that affected several socialist politicians. The European left would be the first interested in getting rid of Sánchez if the Moroccan blackmail is confirmed, so as not to be infected by the scandal, especially before the European elections in June.

Sánchez's clumsiness with his letter: now all of Europe knows about his wife's scandal

Thus, and unlike what some have pointed out in recent hours, it is not Israel that has put Sánchez in a bind: it has been France, whether intentionally or not. It could be Sánchez's European allies until now who put an end to him politically. That his own wife is involved in a corruption scandal would be the cherry on top. And with his letter yesterday, Sánchez has committed the clumsiness of getting the entire international press to find out about a case that even now it had barely passed the Spanish borders.

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Photo: Efe.