Geneva– A Swiss court on Tuesday dismissed a case against the daughter of Uzbekistan’s former president on charges including money laundering and bribery, noting that she is in jail at home and has not been allowed to participate in the proceedings.
case against swiss Gulnara KarimovaThe daughter of former President Islam Karimov was released a day after her trial began in the southern city of Bellinzona. It was scheduled to run until 22 May.
The presiding judge said Uzbek authorities had indicated that Karimova, 53, would not be released until she has served her entire sentence in December 2028 after being convicted in Uzbekistan of charges including embezzlement. The judge said the charges in Switzerland would have expired under the statute of limitations.
Karimova was first convicted in Uzbekistan in 2015. She was initially ordered to serve her sentence at her daughter’s home, but a 2019 court ruling put her behind bars for violating her prison terms.
She is now serving a 13-year sentence for organizing a criminal group, extortion and embezzlement. Uzbek news outlet Podrobno reported on Monday that Karimova has been held in a women’s penal colony on the outskirts of the capital Tashkent since early last year.
focused on the swiss case Alleged bribery and money laundering It involved hundreds of millions of dollars in assets and a crime gang called “The Office”, which included several dozen people and numerous companies.
The trial against Swiss private bank Lombard Odier and a former employee will continue over Swiss prosecutors’ allegations that they had a “decisive role” in hiding the proceeds of crime gang activities.
Lombard Odier has said that the charges against him – which he opposes and will defend – focus on “organisational deficiencies in preventive measures”, not allegations of involvement in money laundering.
