Paris, January 28 – Four additional individuals have been indicted in connection with the kidnapping of an Uzbek multimillionaire banker in Paris last June, the public prosecutor’s office confirmed on Saturday. These new indictments bring the total number of suspects pursued in the judicial investigation to six, which was opened on June 29 by the specialized interregional jurisdiction (Jirs) of Paris.
Details of the Kidnapping and Investigation
The case began with a complaint filed on June 24 by Kakhramonjon Olimov, a banker associated with Anorbank. Olimov reported being abducted and held captive between June 22 and 23 in Paris and the Nice region. In an interview with Le Monde in July, the financier recounted being approached by a woman, agreeing to meet her at a restaurant, but being kidnapped on the way.
According to his testimony, he endured violence, mock hangings, throat-slitting simulations, filmed humiliations, and rape threats. Mr. Olimov claimed to have recognized among his kidnappers the trusted associate of a former business partner with whom he had a commercial dispute. He also stated that he was forced to sign an acknowledgment of debt for 5 million dollars, of which he paid an advance of 200,000 dollars, before being released.
Uzbek Mafia Connections Suspected
A source close to the case suggested that “the kidnapping occurred within the framework of Uzbek mafia relations.” The source added, “The mastermind knew the victim, with whom he did business, and there was a dispute.”
On June 29, a first suspect was indicted and imprisoned in this judicial investigation, which covers charges of arrest, kidnapping, and sequestration by an organized gang, as well as extortion with a weapon by an organized gang and criminal association.
Arrests and Indictments
On July 24, a woman, described as the alleged “bait” by a second source close to the case, was arrested in Turkey under an international arrest warrant. She was extradited to France on November 26, then indicted and imprisoned.
Between January 16 and 20, four more individuals were indicted. Two of them have been placed in provisional detention, and two under judicial supervision. One of the newly indicted, an “acquaintance of the bait,” is accused of being aware of the kidnapping plot, according to sources close to the case. Another suspect is accused of having housed the perpetrators. Their lawyers, Mes Camille Lucotte and Clothilde Humbert, declined to comment.
A third suspect is believed to have acted as the driver. His lawyer, Me Julien Fresnault, stated that his client “committed no violence in this matter.” He added, “The investigation will clarify the role of each person and the particularly vague context of these facts.”
A fourth individual was arrested at Nice airport “as he was preparing to board a flight to Georgia,” according to the prosecutor’s office. He has appealed his provisional detention.
The investigation continues to shed light on the complex network behind this high-profile kidnapping case in Paris.
