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Uzbek Authorities Acknowledge Karimova Under House Arrest


Photos released earlier this month purportedly showed Gulnara Karimova scuffling with security agents during her house arrest.
Photos released earlier this month purportedly showed Gulnara Karimova scuffling with security agents during her house arrest.

Uzbek prosecutors have confirmed that Gulnara Karimova, the eldest daughter of President Islam Karimov, is under house arrest and being investigated for suspected corruption and other charges.

Karimova, a flamboyant 42-year-old businesswoman and socialite, had once been seen as a possible successor to her 76-year-old father, until a corruption scandal last year led to being confined to a Tashkent house.

The Prosecutor-General's Office, in a September 23 statement, acknowledged that Karimova was being held "in isolation" at home with her 16-year-old daughter, Iman.

The statement said, "Karimova...may have used administrative levers and provided the 'corruption element' for members of an organized [criminal] group."

In July, several suspected associates of Karimova's were handed prison terms after being found guilty of financial crimes.

The statement said neither Karimova nor her daughter were suffering any health problems and that Iman, who was born in the United States, "can go anywhere she likes."

Based on reporting by AFP and Interfax

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