Гулнора Исломовна Каримова
Gulnara Karimova, daughter of former Uzbekistan leader Islam Karimov, is alleged to have headed a powerful organized crime syndicate that leveraged state actors to expropriate businesses, monopolize markets, solicit bribes, and administer extortion rackets. In July 2017, the Uzbek Prosecutor General’s Office charged Karimova with directly abetting the criminal activities of an organized crime group whose assets were worth over $1.3 billion. Karimova was also charged with hiding foreign currency through various means, including the receipt of payoffs in the accounts of offshore companies controlled by an organized criminal group, the illegal sale of radio frequencies and land parcels, siphoning off state funds through fraudulent dividend payments and stock sales, the illegal removal of cash, the non-collection of currency earnings, and the import of goods at inflated prices. Karimova was found guilty of embezzlement of state funds, theft, tax evasion, and concealment of documents. According to the case, Karimova laundered the proceeds of corruption back to her own accounts through a complex network of subsidiary companies and segregated portfolio funds. Karimova’s targeting of successful businesses to maximize her gains and enrich herself in some cases destroyed Uzbek competitors. Due in part to Karimova’s corrupt activities in the telecom sector alone, it is estimated that Uzbeks paid some of the highest rates in the world for cellular service. [1] [2]
Information
| IDENTIFYING INFORMATION | Diplomat, businesswoman, daughter of former Uzbekistan leader Islam Karimov |
| DATE OF BIRTH | 08.07.1972 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Soviet Union |
| NATIONALITY | Uzbekistan |
| COUNTRY OF RESIDENCE | Uzbekistan |
| FULL NAME | Gulnara Islamovna Karimova |
| FIRST AND MIDDLE NAME(S) | Gulnara Islamovna |
| ALIASES | (1) Goulnora Karimova (2) Karimova Goulnora Islamovna (3) “Googoosha” |
| FAMILY MEMBERS | Islam Karimov - father Tatyana Karimova - mother Lola Karimova-Tillyaeva - sister Mansur Maqsudi - ex-husband Islam Karimov Jr. - son Iman Karimova - daughter |
| FAMILY MEMBERS SUBJECT TO SANCTIONS | None |
| SUSPECTED OR CONFIRMED LINKS TO LEGAL ENTITIES | Takilant Ltd., [1] |
| SUSPECTED OR CONFIRMED LINKS TO OTHER ASSETS | $350 million in Switzerland. [1] |
| ESTIMATES OF ASSETS FROZEN OR CONFISCATED | More than $800m are frozen in Switzerland since 2012 [1] |
| ESTIMATES OF ASSETS RETURNED | $10m from France from the sale of her "illegally acquired assets" [1] and $131m from Switzerland are in the process of being returned to Uzbekistan through a trust fund [2] |
| SANCTIONS REGIMES | US Global Magnitsky Sanctions. [1] |
| START OF SANCTIONS | 21.12.2017 [1] |