Swiss court halts proceedings against Gulnara Karimova citing legal obstacles

According to a report by Reuters, the court decided to suspend the case because Karimova was not permitted to leave Uzbekistan to attend the proceedings in person, creating a significant legal obstacle to the continuation of the trial.

Gulnara Karimova, who has consistently denied all allegations, is accused of taking bribes and leading a criminal organization known as "The Office." Prosecutors allege that this group transferred hundreds of millions of dollars into Swiss bank accounts between 2005 and 2013. The charges suggest that Karimova used her influence to extort bribes from telecommunications companies seeking entry into the Uzbek market.

Gregoire Mangeat, Karimova’s lawyer, informed Reuters that the court’s decision to terminate the proceedings under Swiss law is effectively equivalent to an acquittal. He emphasized that the court identified a serious barrier to moving forward, referring to his client's inability to participate in the court sessions while serving a prison sentence in her home country.

Currently, Karimova is serving a prison sentence in Uzbekistan that is scheduled to last until December 2028. Notably, the statute of limitations for the crimes alleged by the Swiss Office of the Attorney General is also set to expire during that same year.

The legal saga began in 2012 when the Swiss Office of the Attorney General opened a criminal case against Karimova and her business associates for corruption, participation in a criminal organization, and money laundering. Shortly thereafter, in 2013, she became the subject of investigations in Uzbekistan. In March 2019, a Tashkent city court sentenced her to 13 years and four months in prison, with the term calculated starting from August 21, 2015.

The international dimension of the case also involves the United States, which in March 2019 charged Karimova and the former CEO of Uzdunrobita, Behzod Ahmedov, with corruption and laundering more than $865 million.

Despite the suspension of the trial, efforts to repatriate seized assets have continued. In June 2019, the Swiss Office of the Attorney General announced the return of approximately $133.7 million in frozen funds to Uzbekistan. By September 2020, the Swiss and Uzbek governments reached a formal agreement on the conditions for returning confiscated assets, confirming that $131 million from Karimova’s Swiss accounts would be repatriated to the state of Uzbekistan.