Two French journalists accused of trying to extort almost £2m in exchange for not publishing a book criticising King Mohammed VI are claiming they were entrapped.
Eric Laurent and Catherine Graciet agreed to accept instalments of 40,000 euro (£29,000) in a sting operation designed to catch them in the act of blackmailing Moroccan authorities. The pair are notorious in Morocco for their outspoken disdain for a King that most citizens regard as above criticism. Excerpts published in Spain’s El Pais newspaper from their book about Mohammed VI entitled The Predator King saw the daily temporarily banned in Morocco in 2012.
In an interview Monday with Le Parisien newspaper, Graciet says she was tempted into a trap. She said: “It’s the palace that offers, the palace that corrupts”, and that going along with the deal was a moment of weakness on her part.
Her lawyer, Eric Moutet, confirmed the existence of a “financial deal” but, describing the accusations as “very troubling”, he claimed: “The Moroccan kingdom has a clear axe to grind with Catherine Graciet.”
Laurent, 68, a veteran investigative reporter, told Le Monde there had been a personal financial transaction, but not blackmail; adding that he and his colleague had been ensnared by an offer from Rabat.
He told Le Monde that in July he had contacted the office of King Mohammed VI to inform them of the allegations in the book and seek their response. A lawyer for the Moroccan royal family met Laurent in a Paris hotel in August and allegedly told him: “It’s not really a book we want to see coming out,” and offered to pay the journalist in exchange for not publishing the book. Laurent told Le Monde he accepted the proposal of money for personal reasons and in order not to “destabilise Morocco”.
Laurent told the paper the main reason for entering into talks on a deal was the topic of the book itself and the fact it could damage the monarchy and create a power struggle in the country. “It’s extremely sensitive,” he said. “I’ve been doing this job for 30 years and I admit that with this, I’d had enough of it. It’s a very complex subject concerning the royal family and certain behaviours. So I said to myself, no matter what reservations one can have about the monarchy, one doesn’t want to see an Islamic republic installed. If he offers a [financial] transaction, why not?”
Asked by RTL radio how this approach could possibly fit with journalistic ethics, Laurent said: “I’ve got no lessons on ethics to take from anyone … It’s my book, my work, I have the right to publish or not publish. I can do what I like.”
The affair threatens to again test the difficult relations between France and Morocco, its former protectorate, which have been particularly strained since France launched an investigation into claims of torture by the head of Morocco’s counter-terrorism unit.
