A pedestrian walks by the doorway to Lombard Odier in Geneva, Switzerland.
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Lombard Odier — certainly one of Switzerland’s oldest personal banks — was indicted by Swiss prosecutors for “aggravated cash laundering.”
In a launch on Friday, the Workplace of the Legal professional Common of Switzerland (OAG) mentioned it filed an indictment in opposition to Lombard Odier and a former worker of the financial institution at Switzerland’s Federal Prison Court docket on Tuesday.
The accused allegedly helped conceal the proceeds of a legal group arrange by Gulnara Karimova — the daughter of Islam Karimov, the authoritarian president of Uzbekistan who died of a stroke in 2016 — in keeping with the OAG. Karimova was indicted by the legal professional basic in 2023 beneath accusations of laundering cash that was a results of legal actions in Switzerland between 2005 and 2012.
“Investigations have led the OAG to consider that a part of the cash laundered in Switzerland could have been transferred in financial institution accounts at … Lombard Odier in Geneva. The financial institution and certainly one of its former relationship managers are alleged to have performed a decisive function in concealing the proceeds of the legal actions of ‘The Workplace,'” the OAG mentioned in its assertion.
They’ve been beneath investigation since 2016, the prosecutors added.
Lombard Odier, whose origins date again so far as 1796, denies the allegations.
“We’ve got taken observe of the choice of the Workplace of the Legal professional Common of Switzerland to convey prices in opposition to the Financial institution for inadequate controls,” the financial institution mentioned in a press release on Friday.
“This step follows the opening of a proper investigation in opposition to the financial institution initiated and made public in 2016. For the financial institution, the allegations are unfounded and with out benefit. The financial institution plans to defend itself vigorously.”
The financial institution added that the case was initiated by a “proactive reporting of suspicions to the Swiss authorities” by Lombard Odier itself.
CNBC has reached out to Gregoire Mangeat, who has represented Karimova all through her authorized battles with Swiss authorities. Karimova is at the moment serving a jail sentence in Uzbekistan.
