Update: DNA chief Laura Codruța Kovesi, spied by former Mossad agents. Two of them – arrested

The National Anticorruption Directorate (DNA) chief, Laura Codruța Kovesi, was spied by former Mossad agents, according to Rise Project. Four Israeli citizens are under the DIICOT investigation for spying on communications and for attempt to discredit Laura Codruța Kovesi. Two of the suspects have been already arrested in Romania.

The two of suspects who had spied on the DNA head are Dan Zorella and Avi Yanus, former intelligence officers and co-founders and CEOs of the Israeli private investigation firm Black Cube. Meir Dagan – former Mossad director during 2002-2011 – also worked for the company, the source informs, quoted by digi24.ro.

According to prosecutors, the two, together with several Black Cube employees, including Ron Weiner and David Geclowicz, “have formed an organised group to commit offenses of harassment and IT offenses consisting in making multiple threatening phone calls (…) and phishing attacks in order to steal the access credentials and subsequently to compromise the email accounts, activity followed by violation of the secrecy of correspondence, for illegal copying and transferring it,” Rise Project reports.

Ron Weiner and David Gelowicz have already been arrested in Romania. The investigators claim that Ron Weiner was actually in charge of the computer operation, while David Geclowicz contacted people in the family and entourage of Laura Codruţa Kovesi. She had been allegedly monitored in March, three email accounts of the DNA chief’s close persons were broken.

Contacted by Project RISE, the DIICOT chief prosecutor Daniel Horodniceanu said that investigations are in the preliminary stage. He added that at the moment is not known who specifically asked for the DNA chief to be spied.

Black Cube Company was founded in 2010 in Tel Aviv by two former Israeli intelligence officers, Dan Zorella and Avi Yanus and has branches in London and in Paris. The company provides legal services and intelligence.

Kovesi: A failed intimidation attempt

“It was a failed intimidation attempt” – is the first reaction of the DNA Chief Prosecutor Laura Kovesi in the scandal, according to Digi 24.

Romanian investigators are investigating possible attempts of intimidation and harassment of the DNA Chief Prosecutor Kovesi, sources quoted by Agerpres said on Wednesday. “There were attempts to intimidate and harass the DNA chief and her entourage,” the sources say. The same sources claim that the company Black Cube allegedly has hired former Israeli intelligence officers to carry on such attempts upon a customer’s order, the most likely a culprit in a DNA file.

Black Cube’s employees – former espionage and counterespionage Israeli officers

The company Black Cube was founded in 2010 in Tel Aviv by two former Israeli intelligence officers, Dan Zorella and Avi Yanus and has branches both in London and in Paris. The company provides legal services and intelligence.

Black Cube has earned the reputation by representing in court businessmen accused of economic crimes. The Wall Street Journal noted that in 2015 the company’s employees were involved in private actions of counter cyber-spying, by infiltrating in the networks of hackers, digi24.ro reports.

However, according to sources, the company’s employees are known to have close relations with the Israeli government officials and intelligence agencies.

Several former officers of espionage and counterespionage from Israel are working with the company.

The Advisory Board of the company includes several personalities:

– Professor Asher Tishler is also President of the College of Academic Management Studies. He works in the economic and energy fields. He also is Adviser with the Ministry of Defence and the Ministry of National Infrastructures.

– Paul Reyniers is working in the financial field and is specialized in risk management, investments and capital markets.

– Lieutenant Colonel in reserve E.J. is an Israeli officer with an experience of 25 years with the Israeli military intelligence forces. The last official office held was head of the elite unit HUMINT.

– Lieutenant Colonel (res.) Golan Malka was President of Marketing and Business Development with Nisa Systems, at the Division of Information and Cyber-security and has held senior positions in several companies having as clients Israeli government institutions, mainly in the fields of security and information.

– Itiel Maayan, Major (res.), expert in the fields of cyber-security and IT. Also holds a position in the Microsoft advisory board.

– Brigadier General M. L., awarded with the Israeli Defence Award, has an experience of almost 30 years in the military. During his career he had under his command several units of advanced research. He also held leading positions in high-tech industry in Israel.