Mixture of Princess Diana, Sarah Palin, James Bond’s girlfriend, Cruella D’Anfer and her father’s “right hand” – this is the image of Gulnara Karimova, eldest daughter of Uzbekistan’s president Islam Karimov, presented by the Spanish magazine El Pais a few years ago. Those are not the only qualities she has. At the age of 40, mother of two children, she is a many-sided personality.

Former ambassador of Uzbekistan to Spain, she holds a position of the Uzbekistan’s Permanent Representative in United Nations office in Geneva. She also designs jewelry, and sings under the stage name Googoosha. Furthermore, Gulnara (means “pomegranate flower” or “flower’s shadow”), writes poetry and leads various charity organizations. Beautiful, wealthy and smart, she studied at Fashion Institute of Technology in New York, Tashkent University and Harvard.

During the last year, Uzbekistan frequently appeared in Swiss media, when local General Prosecutor had frozen hundreds of millions of francs of Uzbek assets in Swiss banks in relation to the money laundering investigation. The case has many divaricating, including Sweden interests, where TeliaSonera mobile operator is accused of having paid commissions for entering the Uzbek market.

Gulnara Karimova has agreed to give her version of the facts in an exclusive interview to the Swiss finance magazine Bilan. The interview was conducted via Twitter and e-mail exchanges between Geneva and Tashkent.

Bilan: After appearance of Bekzod Akhmedov, the head of MTS, Uzbek branch of the Russia’s telecommunication company in the Interpol’s wanted list, hundred millions of francs of Uzbek assets were frozen in Swiss bank accounts. Money laundering investigation was initiated. Media linked your name to the investigation that later was related to another corruption case related to entering of the Sweden mobile operator TeliaSonera to Uzbek market in 2007. What is your position on this issue?

Gulnara Karimova: I did not want to talk about this issue for a long time, but it seems like the time has come to clarify the situation. It has started in autumn 2011, when tax investigation was launched aginst MTS activities in Uzbekistan. Media revealed that this mobile operator violated various laws. Since then I am observing surprising development with regards to this issue.

MTS is a big company with aggressive policy. They already had deplorable experience, in countries including Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan and India. It is not surprising that the company has continued pursuing similar strategy of commercial war in Uzbekistan. I know Bekzod Akhmedov since university time in Tashkent. I have been familiar with his sister, mother and father as well. He used this fact to create an image of untouchable in Tashkent. Together with his clan he played a political role and occupied important position in economic sector of the country.

Apparently he used special billing programs that took off money from people’s phone credits. Attempts to solve such problems revealed dishonourable practices by MTS. Therefore, I suppose that Akhmedov’s escape from Uzbekistan has far deeper reasoning than just telecommunication issue.

Later on this case continued in Moscow, Switzerland, Sweden. Opponents have used this case to relate my name with those issues. The case has gained momentum when it was found in the e-mails of former managers of TeliaSonera that enter to the Uzbek market were negotiated with people who were somehow connected to my sister, or to Bekzod Akhmedov, who supposedly acted as my representative.

It is not the first time I face such attacks. The similar accusations were placed during New-York Fashion Week in 2011, when I’ve been elected a co-chair for the “Cinema Against AIDS” evening in Cannes in May 2010, and during presentation of my jewellery collection on the BaselWorld exhibition. This wave of criticism also involved my close friends. Currently, lawsuits for defamation and perjury have been submitted by well-known people against one of the Geneva banks.

Bilan: Justice is especially interested in role of Bekzod Akhmedov. As it was stated in internal documents of the TeliaSonera, he supposedly was your representative when Sweden mobile operator negotiated purchase of Uzbek mobile operator Coscom. People think that he was one of your agents? Have you played a role in TeliaSonera’s entry to your country?

Gulnara Karimova: I ask myself the same question. What role has Bekzod Ahmedov played in those numerous projects, related to purchase of the telecommunication equipments in Uzbekistan, in Uzbekneftegaz national holding, or in installing an optical fibres in other sectors? On the official webpage of Uzbekistan’s Prosecutor General, it is mentioned that during import of equipments by MTS, the cost shown in the bill was 50 times higher than the real one.

There are many questions for him with regards to this issue. Bekzod Akhmedov worked with many influential people in Uzbekistan. Those people do not like publicity, but they have significant wealth. Most of them are questioning how could Akhmedov combine the role of the head of MTS with obscure transactions and stay friends with them at the same time. Media provides different types of scenario. For example, the web sites like centrasia.ru, news.ivest.kz and maxala.org published articles which coincide with the General Prosecutor’s information.

I would like to look at those “internal documents”, to make sure that they actually exist. The Independent investigation by Mannheimer Swartling law firm, did not find such documents. I have never had an opportunity to meet or speak to representatives of TelaSonera. I prefer direct communication rather than trough agents. As my experience shows it may create problems, especially given my status.

I also wonder how TeliaSonera could have an agreement with Akhmedov while he was a CEO of MTS-Uzbekistan, the direct competitor for Sweden’s mobile operator in Uzbek market. For the last decade Bekzod Akhmedov’s salary came from both Moscow and Tashkent. It should not be forgotten that he also gained real estate worth of $15 million as a bonus. The contract with TeliaSonera could not be possible without an approval by MTS. In my opinion it contradicts all the existing business laws.

TeliaSonera, who bought Coscom, has businesses not only in Uzbekistan, but also in Afghanistan and Tajikistan. But it is curious to note that corruption charges have been raised only in relation to Uzbek market.

Bilan: Have you ever invested, controlled or do control, directly or indirectly, any firms in Switzerland?

Gulnara Karimova: I have never considered the opportunities of doing business in Switzerland. Moreover, my diplomatic status does not allow me to do so. If I had had any interests in Switzerland over the past six years, it would have been a case for investigation not only by Swiss justice but also by the UN, due to my position of my country’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations Office in Geneva. These references are insinuations of my opponents. My name has been mentioned earlier several times in relations to companies such as Zeromax in Zug, Interspan, Oxus Gold, Wimm-Bill-Dann of Russia, Carlsberg and many others.

In 2011, in Switzerland I was thinking to sue for blackmailing and threats, but my diplomatic status does not allow me to make this kind of complains to defend my personal rights. However, I was granted a right for public response in some Swiss newspapers that falsely claimed that I was one of the founders of Zeromax and I controlled the company. To be able to resist those purposeful attacks, would have demanded too much of efforts from staff which would distract us from the main work such as the Fund Forum, which I support, with seven million beneficiaries.