Spies tricked a DWF partner into giving them information about a case by taking him for a boozy meal and pretending to be potential clients. The spies pretended to be Italian oil executives and told X they were considering instructing him in connection with a genuine multi-million-dollar arbitration between the oil company and the UAE. By the time the Black Cube operative began asking X a series of questions about the matter, the DWF partner had been “lulled into a false sense of confidence and security”. “Black Cube had picked its target well. However, the plan foundered when Black Cube presented its secret recordings of the meetings to Pliego’s solicitors at Enyo Law LLP, who knew nothing of the subterfuge.