alex van der zwaan, a lawyer who was charged with

by Treva Braun Published 2 years ago Updated 2 years ago 4 min read

On 20 February 2018, he pleaded guilty to one count of making a false statement to investigators while answering questions about Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections. He served 30 days in prison and was fined $20,000.

How long was Van der Zwaan in prison?

He served 30 days in prison and was fined $20,000. After serving his sentence, Van der Zwaan was deported to the Netherlands. He was later pardoned in December 2020 by U.S. President Donald Trump. The Ukrainian Ministry of Justice was his firm's client and central to the indictment.

Where is Van der Zwaan from?

Education and career. Van der Zwaan, a Dutch citizen, was born in Brussels, Belgium, in 1984. He received his LL.B. at King's College London in 2006, and completing his Legal Practice Course at BPP Law School in 2007. He was admitted to practice law as a solicitor in England and Wales in September 2009. He began working at the London office of the ...

Who is the lawyer who defended the prosecution of Yanukovych's rival?

Van der Zwaan , who speaks Russian, was one of the eight attorneys who worked on Skadden Arps's 2012 report, commissioned by the government of Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych via Paul Manafort, that defended the prosecution, conviction and imprisonment of Yanukovych's rival, the country's former prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko. Van der Zwaan worked closely with Gregory B. Craig in preparing the report, assisting with fact-finding and attending meetings in Ukraine. He also served as rule-of-law consultant to the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine. In a 2017 interview former United States ambassador to Ukraine John E. Herbst said that Skadden Arps "should have been ashamed" of the report, calling it "a nasty piece of work".

Van der Zwaan sentenced to 30 days in prison for lying to special counsel

Judge Amy Berman Jackson said van der Zwaan's false statements were not an incidental mistake but a knowing lie during an investigation of international importance. She said she took into account that he is an attorney and should have known better.

Congress Pelosi, McCarthy trade barbs over return of House mask mandate

Prosecuting van der Zwaan was more likely intended to send a message that Mueller's team would move aggressively against anyone who tried to obstruct their investigation rather than to enlist van der Zwaan's help. The terms of his plea do not require him to cooperate with prosecutors.

Top Democrat suggests proof of Trump-Russia collusion still to come

It is unclear how – if at all – the case against Van der Zwaan is connected to the broader question of whether or not the Trump campaign conspired with the Kremlin.

Trump-Russia inquiry: Manafort under pressure after reports that Gates has flipped

She claimed that Trump has been “extremely tough” on Russia, citing his big spending on the US military, export of energy to eastern Europe, upholding of Barack Obama-era sanctions, closure of three Russian diplomatic properties in the US and arming of Ukrainians.

Overview

Alex Rolf van der Zwaan is a Belgian-born Dutch attorney formerly with the London branch of New York-based international law firm Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom.
On 20 February 2018, he pleaded guilty to one count of making a false statement to investigators while answering questions about Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections. He served 30 days in prison and was fined $20,000. After serving his sentence, Van der Zwaan was …

Education and career

Van der Zwaan, a Dutch citizen, was born in Brussels, Belgium, in 1984. He received his LL.B. at King's College London in 2006, and completing his Legal Practice Course at BPP Law School in 2007. He was admitted to practice law as a solicitor in England and Wales in September 2009.
He began working at the London office of the international law firm Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flomin 2007. At the firm, he worked on complex matters, including the freezing of assets of th…

Work on Skadden Arps' Ukrainian report, and criminal conviction

Van der Zwaan, who speaks Russian, was one of the eight attorneys who worked on Skadden Arps's 2012 report, commissioned by the government of Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych via Paul Manafort, that defended the prosecution, conviction and imprisonment of Yanukovych's rival, the country's former prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko. Van der Zwaan worked closely with Gregory B. Craigin preparing the report, assisting with fact-finding and attending meetings in Ukraine. He …

Personal life

As of 2018 , Van der Zwaan lives in London. In June 2017, he married Eva Khan, daughter of the Russian billionaire German Khan, co-founder and co-owner of Alfa Group. German Khan is suing BuzzFeed and the private investigation firm Fusion GPS over BuzzFeed's publication of the Trump–Russia dossiercontaining information about Trump's ties to Russia. Van der Zwaan has Russian roots and has worked with a number of Russian oligarchs. In addition to Dutch, he spea…

External links

• Media related to Alex van der Zwaan at Wikimedia Commons