Black Cube in Slovenia

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Black Cube in Slovenia

Type Alleged foreign interference in an election: covert recordings of public figures, released before the vote
Date November 2025 – March 2026
Location Ljubljana, Slovenia
Participants Black Cube, including chief executive Dan Zorella and adviser Giora Eiland (named by the Slovenian authorities)
Victims Former justice minister Dominika Švarc Pipan; lawyer Nina Zidar Klemenčič; lobbyist Rok Hodej; former Gen energija chief Dejan Paravan; Gen-I Croatia deputy director Tomislav Vukmanović
Inquiry status Police investigation opened March 2026. Opposition motions for a parliamentary inquiry were blocked in June and July 2026 and withdrawn in October 2026
Cause Recordings published on anti-corruption2026.com about twelve days before the 22 March 2026 parliamentary election
Outcome Golob's Freedom Movement came first by one seat. A Janša-led government took office on 4 June 2026 and reversed Slovenia's measures against Israel

Black Cube in Slovenia refers to the alleged involvement of the Israeli private intelligence firm Black Cube in Slovenia's March 2026 parliamentary election. Covertly recorded videos of figures linked to Prime Minister Robert Golob's government were published shortly before the vote. Slovenia's intelligence agency named Black Cube's chief executive Dan Zorella and adviser Giora Eiland as having visited the country, including the street where the opposition SDS has its headquarters.

The affair came to light on 16 March 2026, six days before the election, when the 8 March Institute and the weekly Mladina published an investigation linking the recordings to Black Cube.[1] Within days the government, citing the intelligence and security agency SOVA, said it had found "direct foreign interference". Police opened an investigation.[2][3] Janez Janša, leader of the Slovenian Democratic Party (SDS), admitted meeting Eiland but denied wrongdoing. Black Cube did not respond to Politico.[2]

The recordings

About twelve days before the election, videos of prominent Slovenians at apparent business meetings began appearing on anti-corruption2026.com. The site named no owner, editor or contact. The meetings had been arranged by a supposed British investment fund, Stockard Capital, and the stated aim of the posts was to expose corruption in Golob's government.[1] N1 reported that people posing as representatives of fake companies asked the following people about Golob, his links to the energy trader Gen-I, and Ljubljana mayor Zoran Janković:[4]

People shown in the published recordings (as listed by N1)
# Name Description Ref
1 Dominika Švarc Pipan Former justice minister [4]
2 Nina Zidar Klemenčič Lawyer [4]
3 Rok Hodej Lobbyist [4]
4 Dejan Paravan Former head of Gen energija [4]
5 Tomislav Vukmanović Deputy director of Gen-I's Croatian subsidiary [4]

Politico said the tapes appeared to show figures "discussing corruption, illegal lobbying and the misuse of state funds".[2] In July 2026 the government published part of a report by a German forensic laboratory on the files. It found that "no file is an original file from a recording device. All files have been processed". It found no signs that the recordings had been made wholly or partly with artificial intelligence. Voices had been partly distorted, and several recordings had been merged into single files.[5]

Black Cube visits

The 8 March Institute investigation began from an unofficial report that on 22 December 2025 Janša had met several Israeli citizens in front of the SDS headquarters on Trstenjakova ulica in Ljubljana.[1]

  • Using Flightradar24 data, the investigators found that a Hawker 800XP private jet, registration 4X-CNZ, owned by Arrow Aviation of Tel Aviv, landed at Ljubljana's Brnik airport at about 10:30 that morning with four passengers.
  • It left for Rome at about 13:20 with three.
  • The same aircraft had landed in Ljubljana on 24 November 2025 and did so again on 17 February 2026.
  • From flight data, sources and public information, the report identified two passengers as Zorella and Eiland.[1]
  • Presenting the report, Borut Mekina said the jet had landed at the VIP terminal three times in three months.[4]

On 18 March 2026 Vojko Volk, state secretary for national security, said SOVA's director had "briefed us on facts indicating direct foreign interference with the Slovenian elections". He quoted the director as saying the interference "was most likely commissioned from within Slovenia" and that Black Cube representatives had visited four times in six months. Volk said that on 11 December a team including Zorella had spent time on the street where SDS has its headquarters, though he did not say they entered the building. He added: "Black Cube is known for releasing fabricated material at precisely planned times, in this case, just before the elections."[2]

On 20 March the government named Eiland, Liron Tzur and Zorella in connection with a visit to Trstenjakova ulica 8 on 10–11 December 2025. It said police were investigating offences including unlawful recording, bribery, abuse of office, disclosure of classified information and crimes against honour.[3] The dates differ between sources: SOVA and the government give 10–11 December, and the 8 March Institute gives 22 December. Reuters reported that Janša denied a meeting on 22 December.[6] Janša later admitted meeting Eiland but said he could not recall the date. He threatened to sue Nika Kovač of the 8 March Institute. SDS said that if the Black Cube officials had "truly uncovered all this corruption of unimaginable proportions", "a monument should be erected in the middle of Ljubljana" to them.[2]

Golob said: "The fact that covert surveillance and wiretapping in this case involve a private intelligence agency from Israel points to something deeply troubling."[2] The critical US outlet Responsible Statecraft argued that the episode showed "the weaponization of private intelligence, in an apparent effort to punish a European country for its policies" towards Israel.[7]

Election and aftermath

The election on 22 March 2026 was close. Responsible Statecraft gave the vote shares as Golob's Freedom Movement 28.54 per cent and SDS 28.17 per cent.[7] Freedom Movement won 29 seats to the SDS's 28, but Golob could not form a majority. On 22 May the National Assembly elected Janša prime minister-designate with 51 votes in the 90-seat chamber, backed by a five-party centre-right coalition plus the Resnica party. His cabinet was confirmed on 4 June 2026.[8][9][10]

Reversal of Israel policy

Under Golob, Slovenia had recognised a Palestinian state in 2024. In 2025 it imposed entry bans on Benjamin Netanyahu and the ministers Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich.[11] Within a week of taking office, the Janša government:[11][12]

  • lifted the entry bans;
  • ended the ban on imports from settlements;
  • ended the embargo on the export and transit of weapons to and from Israel.

In an interview with the Israeli daily Israel Hayom in late June 2026, Janša announced that the coalition would freeze Slovenia's recognition of Palestine, which he called an "illegal decision" of the previous government, and that the embassy would move from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.[13][14] President Nataša Pirc Musar's office said her position was unchanged. It said Slovenia had recognised Palestine on 4 June 2024 and that she still considered that decision right.[15] No source reviewed for this page establishes a causal link between Black Cube's activity and the policy reversal.

Attempts at a parliamentary inquiry

Freedom Movement, the Left and Vesna sought a parliamentary inquiry into who commissioned and paid for the recordings and why Black Cube representatives visited the SDS headquarters.

  • In late June 2026 the session to order the inquiry ended when the majority (SDS, NSi and Resnica) refused to approve the agenda.
  • On 10 July the agenda was rejected again, by 46 votes to 37.[5]
  • On 9 October 2026 Žurnal24 reported that the opposition had withdrawn its request for an inquiry, which was due to be decided on 12 October. Freedom Movement's parliamentary leader Borut Sajovic complained of "blocking" of inquiries.[16]

Black Cube's people involved

Black Cube figures named in connection with the Slovenian affair
# Name Position Named by Ref
1 Dan Zorella Co-founder and chief executive. Given a 35-month suspended sentence in Romania in 2022 8 March Institute; SOVA/government [1][3]
2 Giora Eiland Former head of Israel's National Security Council; Black Cube adviser 8 March Institute; SOVA/government; admitted meeting by Janša [1][3][2]
3 Liron Tzur Not described Government, 20 March 2026 [3]

The 8 March Institute report says Eiland has sat on Black Cube's advisory board since retiring in 2007.[1] Globes dated his involvement to about 2017, so the start date is uncertain.[17]

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 Borut Mekina, Achiya Schatz, Filip Dobranić and Nika Kovač, How Israelis met with Janez Janša (English version of the 8 March Institute investigation report), Mladina, 16 March 2026.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 Ali Walker, Sebastian Starcevic and Antoaneta Roussi, Black Cube, leaked tapes and corruption: Israeli spy firm crashes Slovenia's election, Politico Europe, 19 March 2026.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 Government Communication Office, New findings on foreign interference in Slovenia's elections, Government of the Republic of Slovenia, 20 March 2026.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 Kaj je znanega o zasebnem izraelskem obveščevalnem podjetju Black Cube (What is known about the Israeli private intelligence firm Black Cube), N1 Slovenija, 16 March 2026.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 STA, Vlada objavila poročilo nemških forenzikov: datoteke so bile obdelane, DZ (znova) zavrnil preiskavo afere Black Cube (Government publishes German forensic report: files were processed; National Assembly again rejects Black Cube inquiry), Slovenske novice/Delo, 10 July 2026.
  6. ↑ Israeli spy firm's alleged visit to Slovenia raises tensions on eve of vote, Reuters, 17 March 2026.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Eldar Mamedov, 'Private Mossad' goes after pro-Palestinian leader in Slovenia, Responsible Statecraft (critical; analysis and opinion), 30 March 2026.
  8. ↑ Slovenia approves Jansa as PM-designate, paving way for reforms, Reuters, 22 May 2026.
  9. ↑ Slovenia's parliament approves Jansa's centre-right government, Reuters, 4 June 2026.
  10. ↑ Government Communication Office, National Assembly confirms new government cabinet, Government of the Republic of Slovenia, 5 June 2026.
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 Associated Press, Slovenia's new government lifts entry ban on Netanyahu and other measures against Israel, Los Angeles Times, 11 June 2026.
  12. ↑ Slovenia lifts entry ban on Netanyahu as Janša government reverses Israel policy, EUalive, June 2026.
  13. ↑ Slovenia to relocate its embassy to Jerusalem – Janša announces historic EU first, EUalive, June 2026.
  14. ↑ Janša napovedal zamrznitev priznanja Palestine in selitev veleposlaništva v Jeruzalem (Janša announces freeze on recognition of Palestine and embassy move to Jerusalem), RTV Slovenija/STA, 26 June 2026.
  15. ↑ STA, Pirc Musar: Ne gre za izbiro med Palestino in Izraelom, temveč za izbiro človečnosti (Pirc Musar: it is not a choice between Palestine and Israel but a choice of humanity), Delo, June 2026.
  16. ↑ S. H. H., Stevanović: Ustavne obtožbe zoper Janšo ne bomo obravnavali (Stevanović: we will not consider the constitutional charges against Janša), Žurnal24, 9 October 2026.
  17. ↑ Yuval Azulai, "Black Cube has ethical boundaries", Globes, 24 October 2019.
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