By the mid-2000s, Karimova had become the “go-to person” in Uzbekistan because she was perceived as someone “you could do business with,” said Ed Baumgartner, a co-founder of the Edward Austin research consultancy.
Baumgartner studied with Karimova at Harvard, where she got a master’s degree in regional studies in 2000, and kept in touch with her during the years he spent working in Russia and other former Soviet republics, but never did business with her. He said she took her studies seriously, in contrast to reports she was little more than a dilettante.
"She wasn’t a lightweight,” Baumgartner said. “She showed up in class, her English was very good and she walked at graduation.”
‘Spectacular Fall’
After Harvard, Karimova moved back home to pursue a career that included stints at the United Nations in Geneva and as ambassador to Spain. She released a jewelry line, embarked on a singing career and organized charity events, including one that brought the musician Sting to Tashkent. As Googoosha, she performed in music videos with Spanish singer Julio Iglesias and French actor Gerard Depardieu.
But never far behind were allegations of corruption. Last year, Uzbek prosecutors named her a suspect in a criminal probe, as a member of a group they allege stole millions from local companies. That September, prosecutors announced they had seized about $167 million of assets from the group as part of their investigation.
Many powerful Uzbeks thought Karimova had gotten out of control and lobbied the president to rein his daughter in, which led to her house arrest, according to Kate Mallinson, a Central Asia specialist at London-based business intelligence firm GPW Ltd.
"Gulnara Karimova’s spectacular fall from grace was an attempt to ring-fence the money she supposedly expropriated,” Mallinson said in an interview. "The whole Shakespearean drama highlights how the president has been politically marooned. It’s the security apparatus that’s making day-to-day decisions."