Robert Golob, Prime Minister of Slovenia
At issue is the disclosure of wiretaps that insinuate corruption among power figures in Slovenia, with a private Israeli intelligence company behind the situation. The current prime minister’s main opponent admitted meeting with spies.
The election campaign in Slovenia has been plunged into controversy following allegations of foreign interference by a private intelligence company with links to former Israeli military officers. Authorities say Black Cube agents carried out surveillance and wiretapping operations with the aim of influencing the vote.
According to Slovenian police, a team that included CEO Dan Zorella and former Israeli national security chief Giora Island traveled to Ljubljana several times in recent months. The researchers claim that the group helped obtain and disseminate recordings that suggest corruption among prominent figures in Slovenia, just days before the elections, says .
The recordings that were released intensified an already polarized dispute between Prime Minister Robert Golob and opposition leader Janez Janša. Polls show a small advantage for Janšaa pro-Trump right-wing populist, while Golob warns that his return to power could destabilize both Slovenia and the European Union.
Golob condemned the alleged operation as a serious threat to democracy. “The fact that the covert surveillance and wiretapping in this case involved an Israeli private intelligence agency points to something deeply worrying. This is not just another incident; it raises serious concerns about the integrity of democratic processes in Slovenia,” he pointed out.
The scandal quickly became a central theme of the electoral campaign. Janša’s Slovenian Democratic Party has pointed to the recordings as proof of corruption in Golob’s circle, while the prime minister’s allies accuse the opposition of collaborating with external actors to regain power.
Janša acknowledged meeting with Eiland, but denied any wrongdoing and threatened to sue the activists who released the initial report that revealed his party members’ secret meetings with Black Cube operatives.
Black Cube, founded by former members of the Israel Defense Forces, has already come under scrutiny for its methods in several countries. In 2022, Romanian prosecutors convicted Black Cube agents, including Zorella, in absentia for espionage in favor of the anti-corruption chief Laura Kövesi. The company has also spied on critics of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, using fake LinkedIn profiles. A company spokesperson stated at the time that it “always operates in full compliance with the law”.
Slovenian authorities warn that such activities, particularly the strategic dissemination of potentially manipulated material before the electionscould pose a risk to national security and further erode public trust.
Golob has already publicly called for an EU investigation into the company. “Given the ongoing and systemic operations carried out by Black Cube and the recently reported operations, these represent a direct challenge to the newly created European Shield of Democracy. I urge the Commission to investigate the complaints and refer the matter to the European Center for Democratic Resilience for an immediate threat assessment”, he requested.
