Spain denies nationality to a Moroccan employee after accusing him of espionage

The Spanish national court confirmed the ministry of justice’s decision to deny nationality to a Moroccan employee for being an alleged spy involved in espionage.

The employee works at the Moroccan consulate in Spain and is married to a Spanish citizen with whom he has two kids.

Spanish media outlet Heraldo National had access to the judicial resolution that was based on a confidential report by The Spanish National Intelligence Center (CNI) revealed that there is a “head of Moroccan intelligence services in Spain” who is recruiting legation staff as spies.

The CNI publicized the “existence of this nest of secret agents linked to the diplomatic representation of the neighboring country” to justify the decision behind denying the Moroccan employee Spanish nationality.

The Moroccan applicant started the nationality procedure in 2010 with no criminal record, a good knowledge of the Spanish language and customs, a legal residence since 2006, and a past as a student in the country in addition to a long career working for the Moroccan consulate in Seville.

The CNI started investigating him back in 2011, “for his relations with the espionage of his country from his position at the consulate in Seville.”

The Ministry of Justice believes that the CNI confidential reports leading to the nationality refusal are not “simple conjecture” and that there is evidence that in the last decade the applicant has continued “maintaining close ties with his country of origin and collaborating with its intelligence services”, reported Heraldo media.

The Spanish court considers the ruling to be fully justified since the CNI has been sufficiently expressive in this regard.

The Moroccan employee is now considered a local agent of espionage linked to the Moroccan secret services.