Morocco: The DGED Behind the European Parliament Corruption Scandal

Tags : Morocco, DGED, European Parliament, corruption, bribes, Antonio Panzeri, Francesco Giorgi, Morrocogate, Qatargate,

The same criminal organization, used for different motives by the states of Qatar and Morocco. The alleged corruption case in the European Parliament establishes a “Morocco connection” between Pier Antonio Panzeri and the kingdom’s intelligence services.

By Joël Matriche, Louis Colart, and Kristof Clérix (“Knack”)

Before Qatar, Morocco. It was because, in an investigation initiated in 2021, there was suspicion not only of interference but also of corruption at the heart of Europe by a third country that the State Security shared its concerns with the federal prosecutor on July 12. Judge Michel Claise was assigned the case, and the investigation was entrusted to the federal judicial police and its Central Office for the Repression of Corruption (OCRC). Although Qatar has been under scrutiny since December 9, suspected of having (ab)used its influence to gain the favor of the guardians of European democracy, Morocco is also on the investigators’ radar.

Based on judicial documents, various sources, and an open-source investigation, Le Soir and Knack reveal new elements about Morocco’s and its intelligence service’s alleged role in the interference in the European Parliament (EP).

In the European arrest warrant issued on December 9 against Mr. Panzeri’s wife and daughter, the judge explains that he suspects Mr. Panzeri “of politically intervening with members of the European Parliament on behalf of Qatar and Morocco, and for remuneration.” Subject to the explicit and evident presumption of innocence, Belgian authorities refer to the results of telephone interceptions to clarify that Mr. Panzeri’s wife and daughter are said to have participated in transporting “gifts” received from the Moroccan ambassador in Poland, Abderrahim Atmoun, a friend of Mr. Panzeri. Neither Mr. Atmoun nor the Moroccan embassy in Brussels responded to requests for comment.

Intense Lobbying

The Moroccan interest in Mr. Panzeri is not new, as revealed by confidential documents circulated between 2014 and 2015 by a hacker known as Chris Coleman. In an “urgent” note from October 2011 sent by the Moroccan Mission to the European Union in Rabat, it is stated that “on the sidelines of the plenary session of the Parliament in Strasbourg,” at least one representative of the Mission had an “informal meeting” with Mr. Panzeri’s advisor, carrying a message “for the attention of the Moroccan authorities.”

The purpose of this note was to prepare for the visit that MEP S&D Panzeri — then President of the Maghreb Delegation in the EP — was to make to Morocco two weeks later. A delicate stop in Tindouf, where several Sahrawi refugee camps are gathered, was planned. This stop was necessary to maintain the image of neutrality of the MEP: “The visit to Tindouf is essential to bolster Mr. Panzeri’s credibility with Algeria and the Polisario after he was accused of being pro-Moroccan.” The Polisario Front fights for the independence of Western Sahara.

In summary, everyone agrees, “it is not in Morocco’s interest for Mr. Panzeri to be perceived as such (pro-Moroccan).” Maintaining good relations with both Algerians and Moroccans, a seasoned politician who can claim “a long-term political agenda, carried out… always with tact and mastery,” Antonio Panzeri, warns the diplomatic note, “can be a valuable ally or a formidable adversary.”

Panzeri, “Close Friend of Morocco”

In another cable from January 2013, the Mission to the EU submits to its own government a roadmap to promote “Morocco’s interests within the European Parliament in 2013.” Organizing debates and seminars, guided visits… The aim of this battle plan is to “counter the growing activism of our opponents within the EP.” Specifically, it involves keeping an eye on the report that British MEP Charles Tannock, “known for his pro-Polisario positions,” is to write on the human rights situation in Western Sahara. Various strategies are on the table, but the Mission intends to “coordinate its actions with the President of the Maghreb Delegation in the EP, Mr. Antonio Panzeri, a close friend of Morocco, to reduce the potential harm posed by the Tannock project.”

A Pact in 2019

It was only several years after these lobbying efforts that both parties are said to have decided to escalate. In 2019, more precisely, the year Pier Antonio Panzeri was not re-elected. According to the confessions of his former assistant Francesco Giorgi before the Belgian federal police and then before the judge, the former MEP was in a difficult situation. Panzeri is said to have then forged a secret pact with the DGED, Morocco’s external intelligence services, through diplomat Atmoun. They visited Rabat several times. Asked about this, Mr. Laurent Kennes, Panzeri’s lawyer, responded that he “could not comment due to his client’s detention.” Atmoun, the key figure in the Moroccan operation, mentioned in the document submitted to the Italian judiciary, would receive his orders from another man…

The same criminal organization, used for different motives by the states of Qatar and Morocco. The alleged corruption case in the European Parliament establishes a “Morocco connection” between Pier Antonio Panzeri and the kingdom’s intelligence services.

“A dangerous type.” This is how a person close to the case describes Mohamed B. An intelligence agent from the DGED. This official would be the handler of diplomat Abderrahim Atmoun. From Rabat, Mohamed B. would give his orders.

Source: Le Soir, 16/12/2022