Swiss Court Opens Karimova Corruption Trial in Bellinzona

Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) — A long-anticipated international corruption trial involving Gulnara Karimova, daughter of Uzbekistan’s former president, opened on April 27 at the Federal Criminal Court in Bellinzona, Switzerland. The case also involves Swiss banking institutions.

The proceedings cover nearly two decades of alleged misconduct and include complex investigative elements, with the final outcome remaining uncertain.

According to Switzerland’s Office of the Attorney General (OAG), investigators allege that Karimova established an organized structure known as the “Office,” which was allegedly used to extort bribes from telecommunications companies in exchange for access to the Uzbek market. Prosecutors say the system operated over many years.

The criminal investigation was opened in 2012 against Karimova and one of her business associates. They face charges including corruption, participation in a criminal organization, and money laundering.

In 2015, a former employee of the private Geneva-based bank Lombard Odier also became implicated. Prosecutors allege that he facilitated the opening and management of accounts linked to the alleged “Office” network between 2008 and 2012, enabling the concealment of funds.

Lombard Odier itself is not directly accused of money laundering. The court is assessing whether sufficient organizational safeguards were in place to prevent the actions of the former employee, under principles of corporate criminal responsibility.

Similar cases in Switzerland have previously involved financial institutions such as Banque Pictet & Cie, Credit Suisse, and Bank J. Safra Sarasin. Lombard Odier reported the suspected case to Switzerland’s anti-money laundering authority (MROS) in 2012 and cooperated with investigators.

The case is notable for its length, with core allegations dating back to 2008.

For the first time, Switzerland’s Federal Criminal Court conducted investigative procedures outside the country. Over the years, parts of the case were handled separately by different prosecutors before being consolidated by the court in May 2025, despite objections from the prosecution, which cited common factual circumstances. The main hearing opened on April 27.

Additional investigative actions were also conducted abroad. In early 2026, the court held hearings in Tashkent for a second time.

Karimova has been detained in Uzbekistan since 2014. Her detention has been the subject of international debate, including findings by a United Nations working group that described it as arbitrary and raised concerns about possible violations of procedural standards, adding complexity to evidentiary issues in the Swiss proceedings.

It remains unclear whether key defendants will appear in court in Bellinzona. Karimova’s personal attendance is considered unlikely due to her imprisonment, while the whereabouts of another defendant remain unknown. Some witness questioning has been conducted indirectly through Uzbekistan’s Prosecutor General’s Office, without direct participation of Swiss judges, and under restricted defense access and confidentiality requirements.

While Swiss authorities sometimes conclude similar cases without full trials, prosecutors in this instance opted for a public hearing, increasing scrutiny of investigative methods.

Legal observers note that the outcome remains uncertain, as the court must assess both the admissibility of evidence and the procedural complexities arising from the case’s long duration.