The Federal Criminal Court in Bellinzona, Switzerland, has begun a trial in the case of Gulnara Karimova, the daughter of former Uzbek President Islam Karimov, reports Todayinfo.
In addition to the main defendant, Swiss banks are also implicated in the case. The legal proceedings have been ongoing for nearly two decades. According to Finews, the Swiss Attorney General's Office alleges that a sprawling network, dubbed the 'Office,' was created to extort bribes from telecommunications companies seeking access to the Uzbek market.
The scope of the case extends far beyond personal accusations: a former employee of the Geneva-based bank Lombard Odier is set to stand trial alongside Karimova. He is accused of facilitating the opening of accounts and concealing the true origin of the 'Office's' funds between 2008 and 2012.
For many years, the two tracks of the case were handled separately by different prosecutors. Only in May 2025 did the Federal Criminal Court, contrary to the position of the Attorney General's Office, decide to merge the proceedings. Exceptional steps were taken in the history of Swiss criminal justice: the court traveled to Tashkent, where Karimova was interrogated for a second time in early 2026.
Gulnara Karimova, 53, has been serving her sentence in Uzbekistan since 2014, while the whereabouts of her business partner have not been officially established. The personal appearance of the key defendants in the courtroom is considered unlikely.
