Israeli accused of spying convicted of 'harassing' Romanian official
Bucharest court sentences employee of private Israeli intelligence firm Black Cube to a suspended jail term of over 2 years.
By JPOST.COM STAFFUpdated: NOVEMBER 17, 2016 12:54The chief prosecutor of the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (DNA) Laura Kovesi (photo credit: DANIEL MIHAILESCU/AFP)
Romania has sentenced an Israeli national accused of alleged espionage to a suspended prison term of two years and eight months on charges of harassing the country's anti-corruption czar, according to local media.After pleading guilty to attempting to intimidate the director of Romania's National Anti-corruption Directorate, Laura Kovesi, a Bucharest court also ordered David Geclowicz to serve 80 days of community service.Geclowicz, an employee of the private Israeli intelligence firm Black Cube, allegedly admitted to targeting three people close to Kovesi, Romania's Agerpres reported.According to Agerpres, Geclowicz's conviction Wednesday also included offenses that constitute organized crime, such as the "unauthorized transfer of data, complicity in falsifying information, complicity in illegal operation using devices and software, and aiding and abetting the violation of a correspondence confidentiality."In April, Geclowicz was one of two Israelis working for Black Cube who were arrested in the Eastern European nation on allegations of spying on a senior Romanian official.With offices in Tel Aviv and London, Black Cube describes itself as a "select group of the elite Israeli intelligence community who specializes in tailored solutions to complex business and litigation challenges."According to previous Romanian media reports, Geclowicz, along with fellow Black Cube employee Ron Weiner, were accused of hacking into three email accounts of people close to Kovesi.Following the arrest of the two, a diplomatic official in Jerusalem underlined that the two were private citizens acting in a private capacity.Weiner has also reportedly pleaded guilty and a Romanian court was expected to hand down his sentence later in November.A third Black Cube employee indicted in the case managed to flee Romania, however the country has reportedly made efforts to issue an arrest warrant in absentia for him.