The PSOE MEPs have voted, practically alone, against the resolution approved this Thursday by the European Parliament that denounces the alleged involvement of Morocco in the Qatargate bribery scheme, with the aim of buying influence in the EU. The resolution, which calls for preventing Moroccan diplomats from accessing the Eurochamber while the case is being investigated, has gone ahead by an overwhelming majority of 356 votes in favour, 32 against and 42 abstentions.
Of the 32 votes against, a total of 17 correspond to PSOE MEPs. The only Spanish socialist who has voted in favor of censuring Morocco has been Iratxe García, due to her status as president of the European socialist group. Unlike the Spanish, the rest of the European socialists have massively supported the resolution critical of Rabat.
The rest of the votes against come from the far-right group Independence and Democracy (12) and those not registered (3).
The radical left group in the European Parliament (to which the majority of United Podemos MEPs are affiliated) has denounced the presence in the Strasbourg plenary session of a Moroccan delegation that has dedicated itself to pressing to soften the content of the resolution, in the end without success.
“The left expresses its concern that a parliamentary delegation from Morocco – four members of the Morocco-EU Joint Parliamentary Committee – arrived in Strasbourg this week to meet with MEPs, ahead of the vote on the resolution,” the group said in a statement.
[‘Marocgate’: el lobby marroquí que compra eurodiputados y periodistas para conseguir el reconocimiento del Sahara]
In its resolution, the European Parliament “mmanifests his deep concern for the accusations that the Moroccan authorities have corrupted members of the European Parliament” Y “asks that the same measures be applied as in the case of the representatives of Qatar.” That is, that Moroccan diplomats be prohibited from entering Parliament facilities during the investigation.
MEPs express their “commitment to fully investigate and tackle corruption cases involving third countries trying to buy influence in the European Parliament”.
According to journalistic investigations, Morocco and Qatar are the two countries that have used the bribery scheme in the European Parliament – which has taken its former vice president, Eva Kaili, to jail – to launder her image and buy influence in the decisions of the European Parliament. In fact, in recent years, critical resolutions on the human rights situation in the neighboring country have hardly been approved.
To mark a break with this stage, Parliament now urges the Moroccan authorities to respect freedom of expression and freedom of the media and to guarantee imprisoned journalists a fair trial with all the procedural guarantees.
[El ‘cabecilla’ del Qatargate pacta colaborar con la Fiscalía belga a cambio de una pena menor]
MEPs are calling for the immediate provisional release of Omar Radi, Sulaiman Raisuni and Taufik Buachrine, as well as an end to the harassment of all journalists, their lawyers and their families.
The text mentions the case of Spanish Ignacio Cembrero and others like him, who have been placed under digital surveillance, have suffered intimidation and judicial harassment and in some cases have been sentenced to long prison terms.
The European Parliament denounces the misuse of sexual assault allegations in order to discourage journalists from carrying out their duties. Rabat must stop surveillance of journalists, including through the Pegasus spyware, say MEPs, calling on member states to stop exporting surveillance technology to Morocco.
Finally, the parliamentarians demand that the leaders of the EU and the Member States raise the cases of detained journalists and prisoners of conscience with the Moroccan authorities; and that use their influence to achieve concrete improvements in the human rights situation in Morocco. The resolution is not binding, but it does send a strong political signal in favor of a change of tone from the EU towards Rabat.
