Israeli spy firm’s alleged visit to Slovenia raises tensions on eve of vote

In this Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2013 file photo, Janez Jansa speaks before the parliament during a no-confidence vote meeting in Ljubljana, Slovenia. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic)

SARAJEVO -- Slovenia’s prime minister on Tuesday accused “foreign services” of interfering in Sunday’s election after a report alleged officials from Israeli private spy firm Black Cube visited the country in December and met the main opposition contender.

A group of journalists and activists from the non-governmental 8 March Institute allege that representatives of Black Cube, including its CEO Dan Zorella and adviser Giora Eiland, the former head of Israel’s National Security Council, met conservative populist Janez Jansa on December 22 in Ljubljana, based on flight records and other intelligence.

Slovenia’s Intelligence and Security Agency on Monday confirmed the arrival of the Black Cube representatives in December but could not confirm they met Jansa, the leader of the opposition SDS party that leads in polls.

Black Cube did not respond to a request for comment. Jansa denies meeting the company.

Middle East policy

Should pro-Israeli Jansa’s SDS win Sunday’s vote, it would likely change Slovenia’s policies regarding the Middle East, as the liberal Freedom Movement party of incumbent Prime Minister Robert Golob has been a vocal supporter of the Palestinians.

Under him, Slovenia has recognized an independent Palestinian state and last year introduced a ban on imports of goods produced in Israeli-occupied Palestinian territories.

Golob told journalists on Tuesday: “The fact that ... foreign services are interfering in the elections of a democratic member state of the European Union is something unheard of.”

In a debate between Jansa and Golob on Monday evening, Golob said this was the “biggest scandal we have witnessed in Slovenia since independence.”

Jansa said that Golob was trying to cover up corruption in his own ranks.

President concerned

President Natasa Pirc Musar, who is not aligned with any party, has raised concerns about the report.

“The extent of the activities of external actors has not yet been fully disclosed or explained, but the activities presented to date seriously undermine the democratic foundations of the Republic of Slovenia, regardless of who leads the government or who is in the opposition,” she said.

Black Cube came to prominence in 2017 after it apologized for undercover operations on behalf of Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein, who was accused of sexual harassment by more than 50 women. Weinstein denies assaulting anyone or having non-consensual sex.

The professional networking site LinkedIn alleged in 2023 Black Cube was behind a hidden camera campaign that targeted Hungarian activists and journalists in the lead up to that country’s 2022 vote.

Black Cube, which says on its website it was founded in 2011 by veterans of elite Israeli intelligence units, said at the time it only did work in relation to litigation and white collar crime and operated according to legal advice.

“It’s important for the politics and the people that this was revealed before the election,” said Borut Mekina, a journalist of the Mladina weekly who was among the report’s authors.

(Reporting by Daria Sito-Sucic; Editing by Edward McAllister and Alison Williams)