Switzerland’s federal prosecutor announced on Thursday that they have formally filed charges against the daughter of Uzbekistan’s former president, accusing her of accepting bribes and orchestrating an intricate criminal network referred to as “The Office.”
Gulnara Karimova, the daughter of Islam Karimov, who governed Uzbekistan from 1991 to 2016, is alleged to have led this operation, which is said to have funneled substantial sums in bribes from telecommunications companies.
According to the Office of the Attorney General (OAG), the illicit funds were routed through bank accounts in multiple countries before being deposited into Swiss bank accounts. The OAG revealed that these bank accounts were registered under proxy owners, obscuring Gulnara Karimova’s actual ownership.
The amounts involved are substantial, with over 340 million Swiss francs ($370.25 million) already seized, with intentions to repatriate the funds to Uzbekistan.
The indictment specifies that foreign companies seeking to operate in Uzbekistan’s telecommunications sector were allegedly compelled to pay bribes to Karimova, who exploited her dual status as the President’s daughter and an Uzbek public official, granting her significant influence.
The case has been formally submitted to the Swiss Federal Criminal Court for legal proceedings.
