David Pressman may have helped a Russian oligarch evade sanctions.
The American ambassador himself testified in his declaration of assets reporting millions of dollars that he accepted money from a confidant of Russian oligarch Mikhail Prokhorov. However, it is not possible to know for sure what legal services David Pressman provided to the circles of financiers close to Putin who successfully evaded sanctions. One thing is certain: the cooperation brought a lot to the kitchen for the diplomat who regularly criticizes Hungary.
The American diplomat who expelled Hungary the other day for its relations with Russia can be linked to Mikhail Prokhorov, who is one of the ten richest people in Russia and, according to articles published in the international press, is successfully escaping the negative effects of economic sanctions.
Before being sent to our country, David Pressman worked for two years at the Jenner&Block law firm, which, according to the information on its website, has extensive experience in international sanctions and export regulation matters.
When Pressman was appointed ambassador, the future diplomat's asset declaration was published, in which he stated that as an employee of Jenner&Block, he provided legal services to a lady named Ellen Pinchuk, who is none other than the person who smoothed the American deals of Mikhail Prokhorov.
Back in 2010, the Russian oligarch bought the Brooklyn Nets team in the American professional basketball league, the NBA. In connection with the deal, Ellen Pinchuk, who speaks fluent Russian, was the one who organized Prokhorov's American media appearances and image building. All this went so well that the famous American show 60 minutes dealt with the oligarch in a positive tone, but the New York Times also published a favorable portrait of him.
Based on the information published in the international press, Prokhorov is successfully evading international sanctions against Russian billionaires, and he may have consciously prepared in advance to tighten and expand the punitive measures that began in 2014.
The billionaire goes to such lengths to avoid sanctions that he recently even took up Israeli citizenship, presumably with the aim of evading punitive measures. It is therefore no coincidence that the Ukrainians regularly request that Prokhorov be hit with sanctions by the international community.
Based on the above, it can hardly be a coincidence that David Pressman, as an employee of a law firm dealing with sanctions law at a high level, was Prokhorov's confidant as a client in the period before the outbreak of the Russian-Ukrainian war.
The American ambassador's confession does not reveal how long and for what amount he provided legal services to Ellen Pinchuk, but it is certain that the negotiations had to take place between 2020 and 2022, i.e. in the months before the outbreak of the war.
In addition, thanks to the Russian assignment, the American diplomat who regularly criticizes our country became rich with a huge amount of money.
Pressman, who readily accepted the dollars from Mikhail Prokhorov's confidant, loudly criticizes our country when it comes to economic sanctions aimed at Russia, but also harmful to Europe.
A notable case of this double standard was when the American ambassador announced sanctions against the Budapest-based International Investment Bank and its three senior officials in April this year.
The diplomat said at the time: "We have concerns about the fact that the Hungarian leaders continue to resolutely expand and deepen relations with the Russian Federation, despite the fact that Russia continues to carry out brutal aggression against Ukraine and threatens transatlantic security. Close economic engagement with Russia fuels the Russian war machine that threatens transatlantic security”.
But Pressman criticized the Hungarian government not only for striving for normal relations with the Russians, but also for advocating peace, who said on the anniversary of the outbreak of the Russian-Ukrainian war:
"However, there is neither a peace camp nor a war camp. There is only Russia, and with it those who do not recognize Russia's responsibility for the continuation of the war."
