Mining Magnates Hired Black Cube for Evidence on Former Lawyer

Billionaire mining magnates hired private intelligence firm Black Cube for a surveillance operation on their former U.K. criminal lawyer as they continued their attempt to stifle one of the country’s biggest bribery investigations.

Eurasian Natural Resources Corp., which is owned by a trio of eastern European billionaires, said it asked Black Cube to gather information to help it prepare a lawsuit against its former criminal attorney, Neil Gerrard. He is the global co-head of Dechert LLP’s white collar and securities litigation practice and the company accused him of leaking confidential material to prosecutors.

The revelation lifts the curtain ...