The Federal Supreme Court of Germany has agreed to hear a lawsuit filed by Morocco against several German media outlets, which the kingdom accuses of publishing defamatory reports alleging the use of the Israeli spyware Pegasus to spy on European officials. The case dates back to 2021, when major German publications, including Zeit Online and Süddeutsche Zeitung, reported that Moroccan intelligence services had used Pegasus to surveil political leaders such as French President Emmanuel Macron, European Council President Charles Michel, and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez. Rabat has consistently denied owning or using the software, denouncing the claims as «defamatory information». In response, Morocco turned to the German courts. Before accepting the case, the court examined whether a foreign state has the legal standing to file a defamation suit in Germany. It has now ruled to proceed with the case. In May 2022, the Spanish government confirmed that the phones of Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez and Defense Minister Margarita Robles had indeed been hacked using Pegasus. Spanish media reported that 2.6 gigabytes and 130 megabytes of data were extracted from Sánchez's phone during two separate attacks. That same month, Sánchez appeared before parliament to explain the incident. The Spanish National Court later reopened the investigation in April 2024 after France provided new evidence confirming the wiretapping. In July 2025, a group of Iranian hackers claimed to have obtained files linked to the hacking of Sánchez's phone. Separately, Morocco filed a defamation lawsuit in Madrid against journalist Ignacio Cembrero, a specialist in North African affairs, accusing him of spreading allegations that Moroccan intelligence used Pegasus to spy on politicians and journalists, including himself. However, the Spanish judiciary dismissed the lawsuit twice, first in March 2023 by Madrid's 72nd Primary Court, and again in November 2024 by the Court of Appeal.
