Casablanca prosecutors have ordered a judicial investigation after Popular Movement (MP) secretary-general Mohamed Ouzzine claimed his party was being targeted through phone tapping and attempts to hack its communications.
Ouzzine made the allegations on Sunday during a party meeting in Berrechid held in support of MP candidate Yassine Saadi ahead of the September 23 legislative election.
Speaking about what he described as attacks on the party’s privacy, Ouzzine said MP was being targeted through several means, including telephone tapping. He also accused those behind the alleged attempts of “mediocrity” and “futility”.
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The remarks prompted the King’s General Prosecutor at the Casablanca Court of Appeal to order the National Judicial Police Brigade (BNPJ) to investigate.
In a statement, the prosecutor’s office said it had acted after a video circulated on social media showing “an address delivered by the secretary-general of a political party, in which he claims that his political formation is being targeted by various means, including telephone tapping”.
The investigation will seek to establish whether Ouzzine’s allegations are true and determine what legal action should follow from its findings.
The prosecutor’s office said the decision was taken under its legal powers to ensure the proper application of the law and “guarantee the proper conduct of the electoral process”.
Ouzzine’s allegations were made as parties campaign for the September 23 vote, putting claims of surveillance of a political party before investigators while the election campaign is under way.
The BNPJ has now been tasked with examining the claims and the evidence behind them.
