Switzerland Is Ready to Return More Than 130 Million Dollars of Gulnara Karimova to Uzbekistan; The governments of Switzerland and Uzbekistan have reached an agreement to return to the Uzbek side $131 million from the frozen funds of Gulnara Karimova, daughter of the country’s ex-president Islam Karimov, swissinfo reports . However, states have yet to document the agreements.
At the same time, Uzbekistan, within the framework of the agreement reached, will have to use the money of the once all-powerful Karimova to “improve the living conditions of the country’s citizens”, investing them in sustainable development projects. In addition, Tashkent must ensure transparent monitoring of their distribution.
Similar conditions will apply to the return of any funds of Gulnara Karimova to Uzbekistan. According to the publication, 650 million dollars are still frozen in her accounts in Switzerland, on which criminal proceedings are ongoing.
Recall that the eldest daughter of Islam Karimov, who served as president from 1991 until his death in 2016, has been in custody since 2014. The first term was appointed in 2015. Moreover, the verdict became known to the public only two years later. In 2017, she was sentenced to another ten years in prison, although the term was later reduced to five years.
In March 2020, the Tashkent City Criminal Court found Gulnara Karimova guilty on new counts. She was accused of organizing a criminal community, extortion, money laundering, and embezzlement by appropriation and embezzlement. The court increased the term of Karimova’s stay in prison to 13 years and 4 months (calculated from August 21, 2015).
Karimova herself wrote a letter in February addressed to Uzbek President
Shavkat Mirziyoyev with a request to close criminal cases in exchange for waiving claims for funds frozen in Switzerland.
According to Karimova, criminal cases against her are conducted with numerous violations. In particular, the daughter of the first president of Uzbekistan insists that she was not given the verdicts of the courts, and any petitions end with on-duty replies.