The private intelligence firm Black Cube, run by former Mossad special operatives and intelligence agents, allegedly collected information on former judiciary minister and Independence Party MP Jón Gunnarsson regarding his ties to the Icelandic whaling industry.
Black Cube’s portfolio includes the cover-up of the Harvey Weinstein scandal, where the company was hired to hinder media coverage and silence Harvey’s victims. According to media reports, the agency was hired by an anonymous international organisation to collect data on Jón.
Shady dealings
In a Facebook post on the morning of November 11, Jón declared that a foreigner had tricked his son, realtor Gunnar Bergmann, in order to gain information on the former minister’s dealings. According to Jón, the man pretended to be a Swiss investor expressing interest in purchasing Icelandic properties. Following two months of conversation, the man and Gunnar met at the Edition Hotel in Reykjavík to finalise a deal, RÚV recounts.
The conversation took an unexpected turn during their meeting when the supposed Swiss national started discussing Jón and whaling. The agent recorded the conversation and, according to RÚV’s sources, spread the recordings among Icelandic media.
On the recording, Gunnar describes his father’s plans to grant Hvalur hf. — Iceland’s sole whaling company — and its owner Kristján Loftsson continued hunting permits, in conjunction with Independence Party Leader and Prime Minister Bjarni Benediktsson, who is also serving as the Food, Agriculture and Fisheries Minister in the current caretaker government.
Political favours
As Heimildin reports it, Bjarni is said to have confirmed Jón’s electoral ballot listing for the Nov. 30 snap elections. In exchange, Jón would receive a position to grant Hvalur a whaling license. On the same day, Jón was appointed as the Food and Agricultural Minister’s aide. This information was allegedly communicated to Black Cube’s agent through Gunnar, who disclosed to the Swiss informant that his father’s legacy would be to ensure Hvalur’s continued whaling, due to the close personal relationship between Jón and Kristján.
In a conversation with RÚV, Jón denies these allegations. “I’m in no position to decide on this case,” he said to state media. “I can’t ensure anyone — how often do I have to say this to you — I can’t ensure anyone any right in it, that’s not within my power,” he continued, stating that he has been a vocal proponent of whaling for 30 years, but hasn’t been involved in the activity otherwise.
Press in the right
The former minister’s reaction to the informant leak is a classic example of a response to media coverage where the person involved is made to feel uncomfortable, said the head of the Icelandic Press Association Sigríður Dögg Auðunsdóttir in a conversation with RÚV.
“What matters is the reveal,” she continued, dismissing that the case revolves around illegitimate means of sourcing information or who acquired it. Journalists had done their jobs by receiving information, estimating their credibility and whether they concern the public. She stated that Jón had attacked the journalists instead of answering their questions.
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