Mar 272009
 
Chopard’s Caroline Gruosi-Scheufele with Karimova.
27.03.09 17:27
Chopard’s controversy over Guli blood diamonds
Uznews.net – Chopard representatives have denied their involvement in promoting the Uzbek president’s daughter Gulnara Karimova’s Guli jewellery collection at an international watch and jewellery tradeshow in Basel, while Guli representatives claim the opposite.

A German journalist who is covering the tradeshow from Basel said that Chopard representatives had claimed that the presentation of Guli was being held with Chopard’s involvement.

A Chopard representative told the journalist that certain issues should be solved in relations between her company and Guli.

In particular, Chopard wants to clarify the guli.uz website’s claim that money raised from selling Guli jewellery will be spent on children’s projects in Uzbekistan.

There will be no joint presentation of the collection until this issue is clarified, she said, adding that even then it would be done no earlier than April or May.

However, those manning the Guli stand in Basel told the journalist that the presentation of their collection was being held jointly with Chopard and that the entire collection had been designed for this company.

Guli.uz website boasts about the creative symbiosis of the Guli collection and Chopard.

Spokeswoman for Chopard Daphne Secretan could not be reached for comment, but several days earlier she told Uznews.net that she could say nothing about Chopard’s involvement in presenting the Guli brand.

Chopard’s hesitation was already noticeable last week when first reports emerged about its cooperation with Gulnara Karimova.

President Islam Karimov’s 20-year rule has led to an appalling human rights situation in Uzbekistan but at the same time has enabled his daughter to get rich and enter the beau monde of first Russia and then Europe.

Since the media became aware of the cooperation Chopard has been receiving media inquiries and even a letter from Uzbek human rights activist Abdujalil Boimatov who warned the company against cooperating with Guli and not tarnish its name by linking it with the blood diamonds of Gulnara Karimova.

photo: Canal+

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