On April 27, the Federal Criminal Court of Switzerland will commence the trial of Gulnara Karimova, daughter of Uzbekistan's first president, and other defendants. This marks the latest phase of legal proceedings in a criminal case initiated 14 years ago.
Alongside individuals, Swiss banks are named as corporate defendants, according to finews.
The criminal case against Karimova and her business partners in Switzerland was opened in 2012. They are accused of corruption, participation in a criminal organization, and money laundering. In 2013, Karimova was also brought under investigation in Uzbekistan.
The Swiss Attorney General's office alleges that the criminal structure, dubbed "The Office," was used by Karimova to extort bribes from telecommunications companies seeking to enter the Uzbek market.
In 2015, a former employee of the private bank Lombard Odier in Geneva was implicated in the case. He is accused of facilitating banking services for individuals linked to "The Office" between 2008 and 2012, helping to conceal the source of funds.
Prosecutors are not accusing Lombard Odier of money laundering, but the question of whether the bank took all necessary measures to avoid being part of a money laundering chain has led to its inclusion as a defendant under the concept of corporate criminal liability.
Notably, in a first for the Federal Criminal Court, a deposition was conducted outside Switzerland. In early 2026, a second interrogation of Karimova took place in Tashkent (she is currently serving a sentence under Uzbek law).
The Uzbek side reportedly imposed restrictions on the testimony process: Swiss judges could only submit questions through Uzbekistan's Prosecutor General's Office and were not allowed to question the defendant directly. Additionally, due to confidentiality requirements and warnings of criminal sanctions for non-compliance, defense lawyers refused to participate. Consequently, the evidentiary value of this testimony in the Swiss court remains questionable.
The likelihood of the main defendants appearing in person is low: the 53-year-old Karimova is imprisoned in Tashkent, and her business partner's whereabouts are unknown. Thus, judges may need to consider proceedings in absentia or splitting the case.
Source: kun.uz