Authorities of Uzbekistan have obtained from France $10 million worth of assets of Gulnara Karimova, jailed daughter of the country's first President Islam Karimov, the Uzbek Justice Ministry said on Thursday
TASHKENT (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 14th May, 2020) Authorities of Uzbekistan have obtained from France $10 million worth of assets of Gulnara Karimova, jailed daughter of the country's first President islam Karimov, the Uzbek Justice Ministry said on Thursday.
Karimova is involved in several criminal cases in simultaneously several countries, including her native country of Uzbekistan, and has had over $1.3 trillion of assets frozen in different locations worldwide.
"On May 14, assets worth $10 million were returned to Uzbekistan from France as a result of efforts made by the Ministry of Justice and the General Prosecutor's Office of Uzbekistan together with competent Uzbek authorities for repatriating the criminally acquired property of Gulnara Karimova," the ministry's press service said.
According to the statement, the assets will go to Uzbekistan's regular budget.
"All negotiations and actions for the return of assets are conducted at the official level, in accordance with the law of Uzbekistan and international law," the ministry said.
Since 2015, Karimova was convicted under several criminal cases on charges including extortion and tax evasion. On March 18, a court in Tashkent sentenced her to an additional 13 years and four months in yet another criminal case on charges of establishing a gang, extortion and money laundering.
In February, Karimova reached out to the incumbent Uzbek president, Shavkat Mirziyoyev, in an open letter published on her daughter Iman's Instagram to say that she was ready to abandon claims for $686 million of assets frozen in Switzerland in exchange for ending the criminal prosecution. The Justice Ministry said that she had no legal rights to be anyhow involved in the return of her assets from abroad.
