GULNORA KARIMOVA
Dad: Uzbek President Islam Karimov
Age: 37
Bad behavior: Karimova is known in Europe as a jet-setting socialite and philanthropist and has been spotted at events with Sharon Stone, Elton John and, reportedly, former U.S. President Bill Clinton. But back home, Karimova is likely being groomed as successor to her brutal dictator father and has used his influence to amass her own formidable financial holdings.
The bad boys giving headaches to some of the most powerful leaders on the planet.
By Joshua Keating
The consequences of crossing Karimova became clear in 2001 when she divorced her husband, an Afghan-American businessman with extensive holdings in Uzbekistan, and took their children out of the United States in violation of a court order. The unfortunate ex-husband’s Coca-Cola bottling factory in Uzbekistan was promptly shut down, three of his relatives were imprisoned, and 24 were deported at gunpoint to Afghanistan. In 2006, Karimova, whose business interests include most of Uzbekistan’s tea industry, reportedly sent hooded men with machine guns to shut down a rival company and liquidate their holdings.
In recent years, Karimova has been focusing on her budding music career. A music video she recorded under the name GooGooSha, her father’s pet name for her, was in near-constant rotation on Uzbek MTV in 2006.
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