Karimova Gulnara Islamovna

Biography

Gulnara Karimova was one of the most influential figures in Uzbekistan. Her father Islam Karimov directed the country from 1990 to 2016.

Corruption transactions with telecom operators

In April, 2015 the international organization which is based in Sarajevo on a research of crime and corruption (Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project, OCCRP) submitted the report on relationship of Gulnara Karimova, the daughter of the president of Uzbekistan Islam Karimov, with the foreign telecommunication companies working in the country. Authors of the report claim that they managed to collect documentary assurances of receipt of payments by Karimova from telecom operators for the total amount of $1.07 billion.

Transactions with Alfa Group and VimpelCom

In particular, in the report it is told about details of an exit of VimpelCom (a trademark Beeline) on the market of Uzbekistan. In 2005 its largest shareholder - Alfa Group purchased small Uzbek operator Buztel for $4 million. Soon after Alfa Group agreed about purchase of other small operator - Uzmacom which advantage was an existence of a big frequency resource.

However in the fall of 2005 of Uzmacom could not translate an annual royalty in the amount of $1 million for use of radio frequencies, and its license was revoked. Frequencies of the operator were transferred to Buztel. After Alfa Group resold Buztel to VimpelCom for $60 million, at the same time VimpelCom purchased one more Uzbek mobile operator - Unitel.

In several days after commission of this transaction of Alfa Group through the offshore Aqute Holdings & Investments belonging to it transferred $20 million to the account of the Gibraltar company Takilant. Activity of this structure is investigated by law enforcement agencies of Switzerland and Sweden which suspect Takilant of collaboration with Gulnara Karimova. The fashion designer Gayane Avakyan, the close girlfriend of Karimova and the former conductress of the Uzbek leader of "The house of style" created by the daughter appears the formal owner of Takilant.

Experts of OCCRP consider that above-mentioned platezhy Alfa Group paid off the Uzbek authorities for transfer of frequencies with Uzmacom on Buztel. It, in turn, allowed Alphée to resell Buztel VimpelCom at price 15 times more expensive, than this asset was purchased.

The money received from Alfa Group, Takilant spent for cooperation with VimpelCom: for $20 million the indirect share in the amount of 7% of stocks of Unitel with the simultaneous conclusion of the put-option obliging VimpelCom to redeem this packet back was purchased. It happened in 2009, but VimpelCom paid more for return of the shares sold earlier - $57 million. In total VimpelCom and Alfa Group paid to Karimova's structures $176 million, counted in OCCRP.

Transactions with MTS

Gulnara Karimova also cooperated with MTS. At the beginning of the 2000th years she set control over the largest mobile operator of Uzbekistan of Uzdunrobit at that moment. According to testimonies of Farhod Inogambaev working as the consultant at the ex-husband Karimova of Mansour Maksudi (Mansur Maqsudi), the daughter of the Uzbek leader forced the controlling shareholder of operator - the American International Communication Group ("subsidiary" of the Pakistani Arfeen Group) - to non-paid transfer it 20% of stocks of the operator. Another 31% of stocks were transferred to Karimova by the state of Uzbekistan.

During two transactions in 2004 and 2007 of MTS redeemed 100% of the shares "Uzdunrobita" for the total amount of $376 million. In the second case the offshore Swisdom belonging to the common-law husband of Karimova Rustam Madumarov acted as the seller. From it MTS was redeemed by Colour Design advertizing agency for $13 million. At the same time Bekzod Akhmedov entering the immediate environment of the daughter of the Uzbek leader remained the head of Uzdunrobit up to liquidation of the company in 2012.

Besides, in 2008-2009 Merkony Investment Group transferred offshore from the British Virgin Islands to the address Takilant and other offshore Finex of $87.5 million which is considered as related to Karimova for certain frequencies for WiMAX technology and fiber optic cables. Finex belongs to offshore Pannaly which director the fashion designer Gayane Avakyan appears. Oleg Sviridov, the lawyer of Uzdunrobit and the right hand of Bekzod Akhmedov was the director of Merkony.

Payments from TeliaSonera

The Swedish-Finnish TeliaSonera, having purchased in 2007 the Uzbek mobile operator Coscom, was also forced to take Takilant in partners. Total amount of payments which Scandinavians transferred to Karimova's structures was $456 million.

Transactions with Eastwell

At last, in the report of OCCRP it is told about transactions which in 2007 were manufactured in Uzbekistan by the Eastwell group specializing at work in the CIS countries. The group sold to the Japanese Sumitomo and the Korean KDDI of East Telecom Internet service provider and wireless WiMAX-operator of the SuperMAX standard. After this transaction of Eastwell transferred $3.8 million to accounts of the offshores Takilant and Finex, related from Karimova.

2011: Ambassador of Uzbekistan in Spain

Gulnara held various diplomatic positions, including in 2010-2011 was the ambassador in Spain.

The daughter of the president controlled several TV channels, owned own brand of clothes and built career of the pop singer under the name of Googoosha — her songs constantly twisted on local radio stations. Gulnara Karimova was even considered the possible successor of the father at presidential post.

2012: A quarrel with Bekzod Akhmedov

In 2012 there was a quarrel between Gulnara Karimova and Bekzod Akhmedov. He fled Uzbekistan, and the authorities of the country accused MTS of protection its flight and closed activity of Uzdunrobit. After that in Switzerland the accounts which are presumably belonging to Karimova were frozen, and in Sweden investigation of relationship of the daughter of the Uzbek leader and TeliaSonera began.

Afterwards Gulnara Karimova fell into disgrace at the father. A number of the organizations belonging to it was closed, people from its environment, including Gayane Avakyan and Rustam Madumarov were arrested, and it as of April, 2015 is under house arrest^[1].

2014: Opala and house arrest

By the beginning of 2014 its business empire was destroyed. TV channels were closed, Karimova's confidants are sentenced to prison terms. In particular, her expected boyfriend Rustam Madumarov received 10 years. He was accused of participation in an organized criminal group which appropriated assets of state companies. The prosecutor's office still then reported that separate criminal case is investigated concerning G. Karimova^[2].

Gulnara Karimova, on September 16, 2014

Since the beginning of 2014 Karimova was under house arrest. In February, 2014 Gulnara Karimova ceased to appear on twitter; its account was blocked. Officially about its house arrest it was not reported, but Karimova Islam's son (after the death of the father of Gulnara in 2016) told that his mother is not let out from the house though charges are not brought to her. He said as if she is going to be killed.

2017

On July 28, 2017 the prosecutor's office of Uzbekistan announced Gulnara Karimova's conclusion into custody. It is said in the statement of prosecutor's office that else in 2015 Karimova was sentenced to restriction of freedom for five years — on the same matter, as her boyfriend and the girlfriend Gayane Avakyan (she headed the false company where TeliaSonera translated a bribe).

Also the prosecutor's office announced one more case against Karimova. She is accused under several economic articles, including of legalization of money for one and a half billion dollars abroad. The authorities of the country want to arrest its assets in Sweden (30 million euros), Great Britain (4.2 million pounds, at home, of the apartment, country houses), France (the apartment, country houses, the lock), Russia (6 million dollars, a penthouse, apartments, the mansion on Rublyovka), on Malta (airplane) and so on.

2020

In February, 2020 Gulnara Karimova addressed the head of the country Shavkat Mirziyoyev. She wrote that she is ready to return to the state of 686 million dollars lying on frozen accounts of family in Switzerland in exchange for release.

At this time Karimova is in standard regime penal colony KIN-21 in Uzbekistan. Earlier she received five years of restriction of freedom for racketing and plunders.

Gulnara notes that her assets and property for the amount of 1.2 billion dollars are withdrawn, but are not included in repayment of material damage.

Notes