El Pais: The Makhzen Entangled in a New Spy Case in Spain

BY: Hana Saada

ALGIERS- Morocco finds itself embroiled in yet another spy scandal, this time in Spain, where recent court proceedings have shed light on the practices of the Makhzen regime. Spanish media reports reveal that the Makhzen has been recruiting immigrants as secret agents to monitor officials of the Polisario Front. The refusal by the Spanish courts to grant Spanish nationality to a Moroccan citizen has exposed the collaboration between the individual and the Moroccan secret services. This latest revelation adds to a series of instances where Moroccan espionage activities have come to the attention of the Spanish authorities.

The Spy Network Uncovered

According to El Pais, the National Audience, Spain’s court of last resort, rejected the Spanish nationality application of a Moroccan citizen based on accusations made by the Spanish Intelligence Center (CNI) regarding his involvement in surveilling Sahrawis. According to a court judgment dated May 31, 2023, the CNI discovered a Moroccan spy network in 2010 that gathered information on the Polisario Front and the Moroccan community residing in Spain.

The judgment highlights that the Moroccan citizen had contact with a high-ranking official of the Moroccan intelligence services, indicating collaboration with the Makhzen secret services. The individual had sought Spanish nationality, claiming to have lived legally in Spain for 22 years with a clean criminal record. However, the court’s decision was influenced by the CNI’s report advising against granting Spanish nationality due to reasons of public order and national interest.

Previous Instances of Moroccan Espionage

This recent case is not the first time that the Spanish courts have exposed Morocco’s espionage activities within Spain. In September 2022, the National Audience rejected the claim of an employee of the Moroccan consulate in Madrid who had been under investigation by the Spanish secret services since 2011 for being a “local agent” of Makhzen espionage. The CNI report at the time accused the employee of maintaining close ties with Morocco and the current head of Moroccan intelligence services in Spain. Over the past 11 years, Spanish judiciary authorities have denied Spanish nationality to Moroccan citizens on at least five occasions, based on CNI reports suggesting their involvement in spying activities on behalf of Rabat.

Pressures and Diplomatic Crisis

The case highlights the intense pressure exerted by the Moroccan intelligence services on the Spanish government. In June 2021, during a diplomatic crisis between Morocco and Spain triggered by the hospitalization of Brahim Ghali, the secretary general of the Polisario Front and president of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR), in Logrono, Spain, a confidential CNI document alerted the Spanish government to the extensive Moroccan espionage activities in the country. The report detailed Morocco’s use of a dual strategy involving the judiciary and media to harass Ghali and impede his movements. The CNI noted that Rabat had deployed significant resources, including economic measures, to influence the Spanish government’ stance on the Western Sahara conflict in favor of Morocco.