This incredible soap opera will, perhaps, finally know a conclusion. They had been arrested just after having sealed a transaction of two million euros not to publish embarrassing revelations on the monarchy of Morocco: the French journalists Eric Laurent and Catherine Graciet will be tried in Paris in correctional for "blackmail" on the king Mohammed VI. Almost six years after the start of the case, Parisian examining magistrates ordered a trial for “blackmail” for the two journalists, authors in 2012 of a previous book on the Cherifian monarch,

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The magistrates, on the other hand, dropped the prosecution for "extortion of funds by threat", according to their order of 11 pages dated February 2, consulted by AFP.

This incredible affair broke out in the summer of 2015. Eric Laurent and Catherine Graciet had signed a second publishing contract with Le Seuil a few months earlier, again on the subject of the royal family of Morocco.

The Kingdom defended at the time by Eric Dupond-Moretti

On July 23, Eric Laurent contacted the private secretariat of the King of Morocco in order to obtain an appointment, finally organized on August 11 with an emissary of the monarchy, the Moroccan lawyer Hicham Naciri. During this meeting, Eric Laurent, former reporter for Radio France and

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, announced the upcoming publication of a second book on Mohammed VI, containing potentially embarrassing information for the monarchy. But the versions then diverge: according to the journalist, it is the emissary who offered him a financial agreement with a view to the non-publication of the book.

The Kingdom, defended during the proceedings by Eric Dupond-Moretti, now Minister of Justice, ensures that the proposal came from the journalist, who claimed three million euros.

On August 20, Morocco filed a complaint in Paris and an investigation was opened.

Two other meetings followed, on August 21 and 27, during which the negotiated sum was reduced to two million euros.

Absent during previous interviews, Catherine Graciet had presented himself on August 27 with Eric Laurent at the rendezvous.

She then confirmed to Me Naciri to support her colleague's approach.

"Same wavelength"

“I agree with the terms Eric has set out. There is no problem with that, we are on the same wavelength, ”she said to her interlocutor, according to the transcript of the audio recording of this interview. The two journalists were then given two envelopes each containing 40,000 euros in denominations, all under the discreet surveillance of the police, who had arrested them as they left the scene. The king's emissary had secretly recorded each meeting, before giving a copy to the investigators.

These clandestine recordings, deemed to be "illegal" by the defense of the two journalists because they were made even though an investigation had been opened, were at the heart of a procedural battle during the investigation.

The Court of Cassation finally dismissed the two journalists in November 2017.

In their order, the judges believe that "in veiled terms, disguised under reluctance, Eric Laurent (...) threatened Mohammed VI, the royal family and the Kingdom of Morocco to reveal information likely to seriously damage the reputation of the royal family and to destabilize the regime in place, to obtain the payment (…) of a disproportionate and unjustified sum of money ”.

"As too often the order for referral to the criminal court is a copy and paste of the indictment," responded Me William Bourdon and Me Bertrand Repolt, lawyers of Eric Laurent. “From the outset, judicial machinery has been set in motion with noise and orchestration, without any factual basis. Eric Laurent will have to be released from the blackmail chief, ”they added.

"Ms. Graciet is delighted to finally be able to explain herself in court after an instruction that showed no direct participation of my client in the slightest blackmail", declared for her part Me Eric Moutet, denouncing a "lapidary and laborious demonstration supported by indirect and very fragile elements ”.

Me Antoine Vey, lawyer of the Kingdom with Me Ralph Boussier, welcomed the decision of the magistrates which “demonstrates an extremely worrying behavior that it will be up to the court to qualify”.

Society

Suspicions of racketeering on Mohammed VI: Chronology of an incredible affair

  • Blackmail

  • Justice

  • Morocco

  • Mohammed VI