Trending Now - Ex-uzbek President's Daughter on Trial in Switzerland for Money Laundering

WHO:

AP News - Gulnara Karimova, daughter of former President Islam Karimov of Uzbekistan.

ABC News - Gulnara Karimova, daughter of former President Islam Karimov of Uzbekistan.

AP News - Grégoire Mangeat, one of Gulnara Karimova's defense lawyers.

ABC News - Grégoire Mangeat, one of Gulnara Karimova's defense lawyers.

AP News - Swiss private bank Lombard Odier and a former employee.

WHAT:

AP News - Gulnara Karimova is on trial in absentia in Switzerland for alleged bribery and money laundering involving assets worth hundreds of millions of dollars.

ABC News - The trial is set to run through May 22.

AP News - Karimova is accused of developing and running a crime ring known as “The Office” involving several dozen people and multiple companies.

ABC News - Karimova is accused of depositing hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of funds “of criminal origin” in Switzerland and abroad.

AP News - Karimova is also accused of arranging for safe deposit boxes for cash, jewelry, and other valuables of criminal origin.

ABC News - Karimova has faced a series of trials after a first conviction in Uzbekistan eight years ago and is serving a 13-year sentence for organizing a criminal group, extortion, and embezzlement.

AP News - In November 2024, Swiss prosecutors announced the indictment of Lombard Odier and a former employee for their alleged role in concealing the proceeds of the criminal activities of “The Office.”

WHERE:

AP News - The trial is taking place in a Swiss federal criminal court in Bellinzona, Switzerland.

ABC News - Gulnara Karimova is detained in a women’s penal colony in Uzbekistan’s Zangiota region, near Tashkent.

WHEN:

AP News - The trial opened on a Monday.

AP News - Karimova was indicted three years ago in Switzerland.

AP News - Karimova was moved to the women’s penal colony in early 2025.

AP News - Her father, Islam Karimov, led Uzbekistan for over a quarter-century until his death in 2016.

WHY:

AP News - The trial is related to allegations of bribery and money laundering involving significant financial assets.

HOW:

AP News - Karimova is accused of running a crime ring and using various companies to facilitate money laundering activities.

(UPDATED April 27, 2026 17:26 UTC)

Gulnara Karimova, the daughter of Uzbekistan's late President Islam Karimov, is currently on trial in absentia in a Swiss federal criminal court in Bellinzona for alleged bribery and money laundering involving hundreds of millions of dollars. Accused of running a crime ring known as “The Office,” Karimova is facing serious charges, including the deposit of funds of criminal origin and the arrangement of safe deposit boxes for cash and valuables. The trial, which is set to run through May 22, follows Karimova's previous conviction in Uzbekistan, where she is serving a 13-year sentence for organizing a criminal group, extortion, and embezzlement.