“Upholding the rule of law: Black Cube always operates within the bounds of applicable local laws (…) Our information findings are intended for lawful use only,” Black Cube says on its website.
“Black Cube, Audio Leaks and Corruption: Israeli Spy Company Crashes Its Elections,” is the headline of a recent POLITICO story.
Somewhere between these two versions unfolds a case that overshadows those of the country.
The crisis began when videos and audio recordings were made public, in which influential figures are said to be discussing ways to influence decision-makers in Prime Minister Robert Golomb’s centre-left coalition government, with the aim of speeding up processes or securing contracts. The material directly hit the camp of the Slovenian prime minister, as it was presented as a sign of collusion.
Almost immediately, however, the debate shifted from the content of the conversations to how they were recorded. Some of those involved claim they were entrapped by people posing as investors — a practice that suggests an organized intelligence-gathering operation.
Black Cube’s shadow and contacts
This is where the Black Cube appears. According to evidence presented by Slovenian investigators and reported by European media, executives of the Israeli company reportedly visited Ljubljana several times in the past months.
A POLITICO report states that Slovenian authorities are investigating the company’s possible involvement in “covert surveillance and wiretapping,” as well as the leak of the recordings shortly before the election.
At the same time, journalistic revelations link these visits to contacts with the opposition party, under Yanez Jansa — something that the party itself disputes or downplays. Jansa himself has admitted a meeting with a person connected to the Israeli company, without giving further details.
However, Slovenia’s Intelligence and Security Service (SOVA) submitted a report to the National Security Council, validating allegations of Black Cube’s involvement in the pre-election period.
The company and its history
Black Cube, a private intelligence firm founded in 2010, has offices in Tel Aviv, London, Madrid and Singapore and was founded by former Israeli intelligence officers.
Its methods, often relying on human sources and covert operations, have repeatedly come under scrutiny. Typical is the case of Harvey Weinstein, who was accused of hiring the company to track journalists and women who denounced him, through agents with fake identities.
In 2022, Romanian prosecutors convicted company executives in absentia of espionage against the anti-corruption prosecutor, while Black Cube has also been accused of influence peddling in Hungary.
From a national scandal to a European case
The case did not stay within Slovenia. As POLITICO reveals, Golob requested in a letter to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen that the allegations be investigated. In his letter, he talks about a “hybrid threat” and about the possible intervention of a foreign, non-state actor in democratic processes.
This report places the case in a wider European context, where concerns about electoral manipulation, through disinformation or covert operations, have intensified in recent years.
Be that as it may, the scandal erupts at a particularly critical juncture for Slovenia. Slovenians go to the polls today, Sunday 22 March 2026, with narrow party differences in the polls and intense political polarization. The question is not just who will prevail — but how much the electoral process itself was affected.
