UNITED KINGDOM– MARCH 2022

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In 2017, the Serious Fraud Office (UK) issued a freezing order against property owned by Gulnara Karimova under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002. On 3 October 2018, a Serious Fraud Office press release stated that they had issued a claim for civil recovery concerning a number of assets, including three UK properties “which the SFO alleges were obtained using the proceeds of corrupt deals in Uzbekistan involving Gulnara Karimova and Rustam Madumarov”.

On 13 December 2019, further details emerged in The Gazette (No. 62856). A notice of the issue of a claim for a civil recovery order was published against Gulnara Karimova, Rustam Madumarov (Gulnara’s ex-partner), Islam Karimov (ex-President of Uzbekistan), Porchester Industries Ltd. (British Virgin Islands), Oregon Group Ltd. (British Virgin Islands) and Rawtenstall International Ltd. (British Virgin Islands). This order relates to seven assets including three high-value UK properties in Virginia Waters, Mayfair, and Westminster totalling GBP £40,992,000, and sums amounting to GBP £59,773.94. Details of these properties: Gorse Hill Road, Virginia Water (GU25 4AP) and adjoining land, 8 Market Mews, London (W1J 7BZ), and Front Basement Flat, 25 Chesham Place, London (SW1X 8HG) have been independently verified using land registry titles.

Despite these orders, the Serious Fraud Office has been apparently unable to serve any of the claimants. Karimova and Madumarov are understood to be in prison, and Islam Karimov is no longer alive. A Global Investigations Review article states on 30 June 2021 that “[a] London court has ruled that the Serious Fraud Office properly served the imprisoned daughter of the former Uzbek president with a civil recovery order concerning three London properties”. However, this cannot be independently verified.

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A statement from the Prosecutor-General’s Office of the Republic of Uzbekistan (28 July 2017) also suggests that GBP £4,200,000 in cash held in the UK has been tied to Karimova and her associates.