Black Cube

Black Cube
Private Limited Company
Industry Litigation Support
Competitive Intelligence
Risk Consulting
Founded 2010
Headquarters Tel Aviv, Israel
Number of employees
 75-100
Website www.blackcube.com

Black Cube (in Hebrew: בלאק קיוב) is a private intelligence agency, which operates out of London and Tel Aviv,[1] and is the trading name of BC Strategy Ltd.[2] The company was founded in 2010[3] by former Israeli intelligence officers[4] Dan Zorella (in Hebrew: דן זורלא) and Avi Yanus (in Hebrew: אבי ינוס) and draws its manpower from elite and secretive Israeli intelligence units.[5][6] The company’s personnel are known to maintain close ties to the Israeli government and intelligence agencies.[7]

Black Cube’s primary field of operation is litigation support, where the company provides intelligence, evidence and strategic advisory services in multi-jurisdictional lawsuits.[8]

Notable Projects

Beginning in 2011, Black Cube provided intelligence services to Vincent Tchenguiz in a number of cases, including Tchenguiz’s fight against the UK Serious Fraud Office,[9] following his arrest as part of the SFO investigation into the collapse of the Icelandic bank Kaupthing,[10] where they formed a close relationship and were part of Tchenguiz’s entourage.[11] Black Cube analysed the network of relationships surrounding the collapse of the bank,[12] and helped build a successful challenge to the SFO arrests and search warrants, causing the judge to declare the SFO’s actions unlawful in 2013.[13] Following this investigation the SFO was ordered by the court to pay over £3m to Tchenguiz in 2014,[14] and to issue a formal apology. The case file constructed by Black Cube is currently being used by Tchenguiz as the basis for a claim of £2.2bn against the accounting firm Grant Thornton.[15]

In 2014, Black Cube were hired by Israeli businessman Nochi Dankner, to examine a court decision assigning control of IDB Holding Corp. Ltd. to Motti Ben Moshe.[16] Black Cube investigated the sources of capital of Ben Moshe, revealing an ongoing investigation by German regulatory authorities into Ben Moshe’s company ExtraEnergy,[17] and locating a witness who held evidence of money laundering and tax evasion by Ben Moshe.[18]

In 2015, Black Cube assisted Taiwanese businessman Nobu Su, owner of the shipping company TMT, in his efforts to gain permission to appeal a 2014 judgement in favour of Lakatamia Shipping [19] in which Su was found personally liable for the amount of almost $47m.[20] Black Cube delivered intelligence to Su’s legal team showing that 20% of the judgement amount was due to a company called Slagen Shipping, which had ceased operations at the time of the establishment of the claim, thereby rendering it unable to act as a claimant, both reducing the quantum of the judgement significantly, and causing the appeal to be granted.[21]

In 2016, the Italian press reported on Black Cube’s involvement in exposing bribery and corruption in a set of Italian arbitrations between AmTrust and an Italian named Antonio Somma totalling €2bn. Somma admitted to undercover agents that he could control the arbitration panels,[22] and that he had an agreement to pay the chair of the arbitration panel 10% of any money they awarded him.[23]

Rumours and Controversies

In 2013, Black Cube filed a lawsuit in the UK against Vincent Tchenguiz for unpaid invoices and breach of contract.[24] Concurrently, Tchenguiz filed a lawsuit in Israel against Black Cube, alleging fraudulent invoices, an allegation denied by Black Cube.[25] Both lawsuits were dropped in a settlement agreement, the details of which are undisclosed.[26]

During the course of working with Nochi Dankner in the 2014 court case, the witness provided by Black Cube was publicly accused by Ben Moshe’s legal team of fabricating evidence and providing false testimony.[27] A court-admissible polygraph test found the witness to be telling the truth.[28]

In April 2016, the company Black Cube employees Ron Weiner and David Geclowicz were arrested in Bucharest on suspicions of spying, phishing and cyber harassing the chief prosecutor of the Romanian National Anticorruption Directorate, Laura Codruța Kövesi and people close to her. The company denies any wrong doing saying that they were working under contract from the highest political powers in Bucharest and that "all of Black Cube’s employees follow local law to the letter, and the allegations against them are unfounded and untrue".[29] The Romanian government and Romanian Police denied the existence of any such contract.[30]

International Advisory Board

Professor Asher Tishler - President of the College of Management Academic Studies[31]

Brigadier General Mati Leshem[32] - Recipient of the 1997 Israel Defence Prize[33]

Doron Arbelli - Former director of the Israeli Tax Authority[34]

Paul Reyniers[35] - Former partner at Price Waterhouse and author of GARP (Generally Accepted Risk Principles)[36]

Itiel Maayan - Member of Microsoft's Customer Advisory Board[37]

Golan Malka[38] - Former Vice President Marketing and Business Development of NICE Systems[39]

References

  1. ↑ Simon Bowers, "Vincent Tchenguiz settles Black Cube legal dispute" "The Guardian" 22 April 2013
  2. ↑ Efrat Peretz, "Investigating thee investigators" "Globes" 3 February 2014
  3. ↑ Shuki Sadeh, "Don’t cry for me" "Haaretz" 8 August 2014
  4. ↑ Liz Bolshaw, "A new breed of commercial intelligence company" "The Financial Times" 26 March 2015
  5. ↑ Kim Sengupta, "Wealthy businessman Vincent Tchenguiz faces legal wrath of Black Cube's Israeli veterans he hired to help in £300m fight with Serious Fraud Office" "The Belfast Telegraph" 12 April 2013
  6. ↑ Shuki Sadeh, "Don’t cry for me" "Haaretz" 8 August 2014
  7. ↑ Kim Sengupta, "Beware the Black Cube: intelligence agency slaps Vincent Tchenguiz with a lawsuit" The Independent" 11 April 2013
  8. ↑ Efrat Peretz, "Investigating thee investigators" "Globes" 3 February 2014
  9. ↑ Efrat Peretz, "Investigating thee investigators" "Globes" 3 February 2014
  10. ↑ Business Desk "Robert and Vincent Tchenguiz arrested in Iceland probe" "BBC" 10 March 2011
  11. ↑ Business Desk "Robert and Vincent Tchenguiz arrested in Iceland probe" "BBC" 10 March 2011
  12. ↑ Liz Bolshaw, "A new breed of commercial intelligence company" "The Financial Times" 26 March 2015
  13. ↑ Simon Bowers, "Vincent Tchenguiz 'spied on his own spies" "The Guardian" 12 April 2013
  14. ↑ http://www.sfo.gov.uk/press-room/latest-press-releases/press-releases-2014/the-serious-fraud-office-and-vincent-tchenguiz-announce-settlement-of-civil-claims.aspx
  15. ↑ Liz Bolshaw, "A new breed of commercial intelligence company" "The Financial Times" 26 March 2015
  16. ↑ Efrat Peretz, "Investigating thee investigators" "Globes" 3 February 2014
  17. ↑ Efrat Peretz, "Dankner: German regulator probing Ben-Moshe" "Globes" 30 January 2014
  18. ↑ Efrat Peretz, "Dankner accuses Ben-Moshe of money laundering" "Globes" 13 March 2014
  19. ↑ Unknown Author, "Nobu Su Fights Back Against Lakatamia" "ACN Newswire" 9 January 2015
  20. ↑ Unknown Author, "Gone to the dogs?" "Tradewinds" 7 November 2014
  21. ↑ Japan Corporate News, "Headway for Nobu Su" "Nasdaq" 14 April 2015
  22. ↑ Corriere della Sera, "Il lodo da 2 miliardi in Tribunale Corruzione o calunnia per l’arbitro" 14 April 2016
  23. ↑ B1, "Black Cube dezvăluie cel mai mare caz de corupție judiciară din Italia" 16 April 2016
  24. ↑ Kim Sengupta, "Beware the Black Cube: intelligence agency slaps Vincent Tchenguiz with a lawsuit" "The Independent" 11 April 2013
  25. ↑ Kim Sengupta, "Beware the Black Cube: intelligence agency slaps Vincent Tchenguiz with a lawsuit" "The Independent" 11 April 2013
  26. ↑ Simon Bowers, "Vincent Tchenguiz settles Black Cube legal dispute" "The Guardian" 22 April 2013
  27. ↑ Shelly Appelberg, "New IDB co-owner accuses Nochi Dankner of Submitting false evidence to court" "Haaretz" 19 September 2014
  28. ↑ Efrat Peretz, "Dankner accuses Ben-Moshe of money laundering" "Globes" 13 March 2014
  29. ↑ "Report Claims Romania Investigating 4 Israelis for Spying" "Algemeiner" 6th April 2016
  30. ↑ Attila Somfalvi, Itamar Eichner "Employees of Israeli business intelligence firm Black Cube is suspected of spying on the director of Romania's Anticorruption Directorate; company denies allegations." "Israel News" 9 April 2016
  31. ↑ Liz Bolshaw, "A new breed of commercial intelligence company" "The Financial Times" 26 March 2015
  32. ↑ Kim Sengupta, "Beware the Black Cube: intelligence agency slaps Vincent Tchenguiz with a lawsuit" "The Independent" 11 April 2013
  33. ↑ Unknown Author, "Mati Leshem appointed CEO of Auto-Center" "The Marker" 20 February 2007
  34. ↑ https://www.aihitdata.com/company/0127EC18/BLACK-CUBE/people
  35. ↑ https://www.aihitdata.com/company/0127EC18/BLACK-CUBE/people
  36. ↑ http://www.reyniersco.com/Reyniers_&_Co._Limited/Paul_Reyniers.html
  37. ↑ https://www.aihitdata.com/company/0127EC18/BLACK-CUBE/people
  38. ↑ https://www.aihitdata.com/company/0127EC18/BLACK-CUBE/people
  39. ↑ http://www.zoominfo.com/s/#!search/profile/person?personId=1623918211&targetid=profile
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