Gulnara Karimova faces Swiss trial for money laundering and corruption

14 articles · Updated · SWI swissinfo.ch in English · Apr 27

Karimova, daughter of Uzbekistan's former president, appears at the Federal Criminal Court in Bellinzona alongside a former Lombard Odier asset manager and the Geneva-based bank, accused of laundering hundreds of millions of dollars.
Prosecutors allege Karimova led 'The Office' criminal organization, orchestrating bribes from telecom companies between 2005 and 2012 and using over 30 Swiss bank accounts to conceal illicit funds.
Karimova, already serving a 13-year sentence in Uzbekistan, faces a month-long trial with a verdict expected by late May. The case highlights Swiss efforts against international kleptocracy and banking oversight failures.

Will this verdict signal a new era of accountability for Swiss banks?

If tried under US RICO laws, could Lombard Odier have survived an indictment?

Could this verdict force global banks to finally refuse wealth from authoritarian regimes?

Can a fair judgment be reached using evidence from a UN-condemned detention?

How did a criminal group called 'The Office' operate inside a government for years?

Beyond conviction, how will hundreds of millions be returned to the Uzbek people?