Klyuvgant Criticizes Putin’s Comparison of Khodorkovsky with Bernard Maddoff and Al Capone
Vadim Klyuvgant, Mikhail Khodorkovsky's lawyer, has criticized Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin's comparison of Khodorkovsky with US fraudster Bernard Maddoff and gangster Al Capone.
Klyuvgant said: "Putin's arguments do not stand up to the slightest scrutiny - the facts are mixed up."
On the comparison with Al Capone, Klyuvgant said: "Those who destructed YUKOS and pocketed its assets are a more likely comparison to gangsters. They were the ones who caused Russia billions of dollars in damages."
Noting Putin's remark about Khodorkovsky's "bloody" background, Klyuvgant stressed that the implications have no grounds. No evidence to Khodorkovsky's criminal involvement has ever been presented to any court. He concluded that everything Putin said "is a very big lie serving only one purpose - to create negative atmosphere around the trial."