A trial opened today against two French journalists accused of blackmailing King Mohammed VI during an explosive 2015 case that saw them request money from the Moroccan palace in exchange for abandoning the publication of a critical book against the King.
Éric Laurent and Catherine Graciet who published “the Predator King,” which Morocco banned in 2012, had contact the King ‘s private secretariat in 2015 in an effort to set up a meeting with a representative of the monarchy, attorney Hicham Naciri.
The meeting was scheduled on August 11, when Laurent told Naciri that a detrimental book against King Mohammed VI was in the coming.
The versions diverge after that. The journalist claims that he was given a financial incentive not to publish the book by Naciri. Contrarily, the kingdom asserts that the journalist requested three million euros so that he does not publish the book.
Morocco made a complaint following the meeting and an investigation was opened.
Naciri and Éric Laurent meet again on August 21. After agreeing to a 2 million euro payment to cancel the book project, the two journalists were apprehended with two envelopes, each containing 40,000 euro in cash.
Later on, these two journalists realized they were tricked, as the French Banditry Repression Brigade (BRDP) was involved, and three meetings were taped.
The two journalists admitted during the investigation that they had accepted a contract to “get rid of” the book, the geopolitical consequences of which “worried” them, but they disputed any threat and any blackmail.
The court will hear today the recordings of the three interviews, made in secret by the Moroccan attorney.
The two journalists risk up to five years in prison and a fine of 75,000 euros.
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