Belgium to return $108 million in seized corruption funds to Uzbekistan

Following investigations into multiple corruption-related crimes, the Brussels Prosecutor’s Office seized $200 million at the request of the Uzbek government. The origins of these assets and the case under which they were confiscated have not been disclosed. Previously, Uzbekistan’s Ministry of Justice confirmed that assets linked to Gulnara Karimova’s criminal network were also located in Belgium, and efforts were underway to recover them.

On March 28, 2025, the Brussels Prosecutor’s Office submitted a request to the Center for Confiscation and Management of Criminal Assets (COIV) to transfer $108 million to Belgium’s state budget. These funds had already been fully confiscated in favor of the Belgian government.

Investigations into corruption, illicit commissions from telecom contracts, and money laundering led Uzbekistan’s justice authorities to seek international legal assistance from Belgium.

"As part of an official international request based on the United Nations Convention Against Corruption, Belgium seized a total of $200 million at the request of the Uzbek government," the prosecutor’s office stated.

A Brussels court ruled that the confiscated assets, along with any accrued interest, should be shared between Belgium and Uzbekistan in accordance with the European Union's rules on asset-sharing among member states. Consequently, the court decided to transfer $108 million to Uzbekistan.

Belgian authorities have not disclosed the specific criminal case or individuals involved in the confiscation of these assets.

Kun.uz has reached out to Uzbekistan’s Ministry of Justice for further details regarding the case and the confiscated assets.

In 2022, the Ministry of Justice stated that Gulnara Karimova and her organized criminal network had assets in Belgium and that Uzbek authorities were working closely with Belgian law enforcement to facilitate their return.

"Due to the ongoing investigation in Belgium (investigative secrecy), limited information can be disclosed about these assets," a Justice Ministry official said at the time. The total illegally acquired assets linked to Karimova’s network and transferred out of Uzbekistan amount to approximately $1.3 billion.

Efforts to recover these assets are ongoing. Notably, under an agreement signed between the Uzbek government and the Swiss Federal Council, Switzerland’s Office of the Attorney General has begun repatriating over $313 million through a UN-managed multi-partner trust fund.