Former Mossad Chief Joins Private Spy Firm Black Cube

Efraim Halevy, a former head of Mossad, the Israeli intelligence service, has joined the private intelligence company Black Cube as a member of its board of directors. Halevy will serve as the head of the client screening committee and act as a senior advisor on operational and intelligence matters, according to Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth.

According to the report, Halevy, 83, could be elected as company president.

Halevy previously was the head of the National Security Council of Israel, an Israeli ambassador to the EU, as well as being the ninth Mossad director. The London-born spy chief also served as an envoy and agent for five Israeli prime ministers.

Founded in 2010, private intelligence company Black Cube has been the subject of attention recently, Haaretz reported. The company, often referred to as a "private Mossad," hires former intelligence operatives from various Israeli services, including Mossad, the Intelligence Corps (or Haman, the military intelligence), or Shin Bet (internal security service).

Last Month, Haaretz reported that Tel Aviv-based Black Cube targeted members of the Obama administration over a seizure of some $6 billion in Iranian money worldwide.

According to an earlier Observer report, Black Cube operatives contacted Deputy National Security Adviser for Strategic Communications Ben Rhodes and the national security adviser to the vice president, Colin Kahl, to discuss the Iranian issue. However, the operation failed and was subsequently exposed.

After the Haaretz report, the company issued a statement saying its policy is "never to discuss its clients with any third party, and never to confirm or deny any speculation about its work."

"Black Cube only works to gather evidence in the biggest litigations in the world and not in other cases," the statement said.

In 2013, the chairman of Israeli Discount Bank (IDB), Nochi Dankner, hired Black Cube to dig up compromising information on rivals Moti Ben-Moshe and Eduardo Elsztain, who reportedly wrested control of the form from Dankner.

In 2014, Argentina reportedly sought to hire the company to look into US hedge fund Elliott Management, which had filed a lawsuit against Argentina over a bond payment.

In 2016, two company employees were arrested in Romania on espionage charges. According to Romanian officials, the Black Cube agents harassed and intimidated the country's chief anti-corruption prosecutor.