Born in 1972 in Fergana, Gulnara Karimova occupied diverse professional roles throughout her life, functioning as a diplomat, entrepreneur, and musician. As the daughter of the president of Uzbekistan who served until 2016, she exerted significant influence in her home country through a combination of family ties and expansive, often controversial, commercial interests.
Academic Background
Karimova accumulated a variety of credentials, beginning with a 1988 graduation from the Youth Mathematic Academy in Tashkent. She attended the National University of Uzbekistan between 1989 and 1994, graduating from the International Economics department. In 1992, she studied jewellery design at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York. Later academic pursuits included a master's degree from the Institute of Economy at the Uzbekistan Academy of Science and a master's in regional studies from Harvard University. By 2001, she held a PhD in political science from the University of World Economy and Diplomacy in Tashkent, where she eventually held a chair position.
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Her career in state service began at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Uzbekistan from 1995 to 1996. Between 1998 and 2003, she served as a counselor at Uzbekistan’s Mission to the United Nations. After a stint as minister-counselor in Moscow, she became deputy foreign minister in 2008. By December of that year, she began her term as Permanent Representative of Uzbekistan to the United Nations and other international organizations in Geneva. She also served as the Uzbek Ambassador to Spain starting in 2010 and founded the Centre for Political Studies in 2005.
Business and Legal Challenges
Karimova’s business activities drew international scrutiny, leading to allegations of money laundering and corruption. In 2016, the U.S. Department of Justice seized $850 million linked to her operations. Swiss prosecutors began a probe in 2012, while a 2017 U.S. Treasury ban restricted entities from dealing with her organizations. Domestically, she was sentenced to 10 years in jail for fraud and money laundering in 2017, later commuted to house arrest, before being moved to prison in 2019.
Creative Ventures
Beyond politics, Karimova pursued music under the stage name Googoosha. She released a self-titled debut album in 2012 and recorded duets with Julio Iglesias and Gérard Depardieu. Her creative portfolio also included the 'Guli' fashion line, which featured traditional Uzbek designs and debuted at New York's Fashion Week in 2010. She also wrote a screenplay titled The Theft of the White Cocoon and contributed poetry to a 2024 collection published by the German firm Brentano-Gesellschaft.
Fast facts
- Born: 1972, Fergana
- Citizenship: Uzbekistan, Soviet Union
- Stage Name: Googoosha
- Education: Harvard University, Fashion Institute of Technology, National University of Uzbekistan
- Notable Role: Deputy Foreign Minister of Uzbekistan
- Primary Investigation: Money laundering and corruption
- Key Publication: The World is a Flow of Flashes and Glimpses
Questions readers ask
What was the result of the investigation into her business dealings?
The U.S. Department of Justice seized $850 million in 2016, and she was convicted of fraud and money laundering in Uzbekistan in 2017.
Did her fashion collection yield proceeds for charity?
Although she stated that royalties from her 'GULI for Chopard' collection would benefit a children's festival, as of June 2016, the festival had not received the funds.
Achievements
- Holdings: Uzdunrobita
- Educated at National University of Uzbekistan named after Mirzo Ulugbek and Harvard University
