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The parliamentary group Sumar, which brings together several left-wing parties, has called on the Spanish government to revoke the decorations awarded to Abdellatif Hammouchi, director general of Morocco's General Directorate for Territorial Surveillance (DGST), and to explain what it describes as «espionage operations» allegedly carried out by Morocco using the Israeli-made Pegasus spyware.
The group submitted an initiative to Spain's Congress of Deputies following the publication of information claiming that 250 phones in Spain were targeted in 768 cyberattacks between May 2018 and June 2019. According to the initiative, the alleged targets included members of the Spanish government, senior officials and individuals linked to the Polisario Front.
Sumar argued that if a foreign intelligence service had gained access to the phones of political leaders and senior security officials, it would constitute a serious failure of Spain's counterintelligence capabilities. It therefore called for a review of relations with Moroccan security authorities and for those responsible to be held accountable.
The initiative comes despite previous assessments by Spain's intelligence services. Spain's counterintelligence service has stated in an earlier report that Morocco does not interfere in the country's internal affairs. In June 2022, Spanish intelligence agencies also ruled out the possibility that Morocco was behind the hacking of the phones of members of the Spanish government.
Hammouchi was awarded the Grand Cross of Merit of the Civil Guard in November 2025, the highest distinction the institution grants to foreign nationals. Spain's Interior Ministry defended the decision at the time, saying it complied with the law and recognized Morocco's cooperation with Spain in combating terrorism and organized crime.
Spanish authorities had previously awarded Hammouchi the Honorary Cross of Police Merit with Red Distinction in 2014, another of the country's highest security honors.
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