The Danielgate scandal exposed Morocco's royal pardon system to public scrutiny after Mohammed VI pardoned a convicted child rapist as a diplomatic gesture to Spain.
Key Facts
- Convicted criminal pardoned
- Daniel Galván, Spanish serial child rapist
- Prison sentence
- 30 years years
- Minimum victims
- At least 11 Moroccan children raped
- Time served before pardon
- Approximately 18 months
- Occasion of pardon
- 14th anniversary of Mohammed VI's enthronement
- Prior similar pardon
- Hervé Le Gloannec pardoned for child rape in 2006
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
As a diplomatic gesture to Spain on the occasion of the 14th anniversary of his enthronement, King Mohammed VI of Morocco granted a royal pardon to Daniel Galván, a Spanish national serving a thirty-year sentence for raping at least eleven Moroccan children in Kenitra. Galván had not applied for a pardon but had only requested a prison transfer.
The pardon triggered widespread public outrage across Morocco, with multiple protests denouncing the king's decision. Mohammed VI initially issued a communiqué denying awareness of the severity of Galván's crimes, then attempted to cancel the pardon. However, Galván had already departed Morocco on an expired passport several days earlier, with Moroccan authorities' knowledge.
The scandal prompted scrutiny of Morocco's royal pardon system and revealed that this was not an isolated incident, as Mohammed VI had also pardoned French national Hervé Le Gloannec, convicted of child rape and child pornography, in 2006. It further exposed how the royal cabinet had bypassed normal prison transfer procedures to accelerate Galván's release in an effort to please Spain.