DUBAI: South Africa’s Justice Minister Ronald Lamola has expressed “shock and dismay” after the United Arab Emirates (UAE) refused to extradite two brothers, Atul and Rajesh Gupta, accused of industrial-scale corruption.
The brothers were arrested in Dubai last year after South Africa and the UAE signed an extradition treaty. They fled South Africa in 2018 amid accusations of collusion with former president Jacob Zuma to siphon off state assets.
The Guptas are accused of involvement in embezzlement and corruption worth billions of dollars.
South African investigators claim that the Gupta brothers were at the heart of a web of corruption during Zuma’s nine-year tenure. According to estimates, the alleged illicit activities cost the country several billion dollars.
South Africa had applied for the extradition of the Guptas in July 2022, and a court ruling was issued on 13 February 2023, rejecting the request on a technicality.
Lamola accused the UAE of “non-cooperation” and failing to properly consult the South African government before the extradition was rejected.
Dubai court ruling over UAE’s jurisdiction
The Dubai court found that the UAE had jurisdiction over the charge of money laundering but cancelled the arrest warrant for the charge of fraud and corruption.
Lamola said the reasons given for the decision were “inexplicable” and “fly in the face of the assurances given by Emirati authorities that our requests meet their requirements.”
The UAE authorities refuted the accusation of blindsiding South Africa, stating that the extradition application was flawed and lacked the necessary legal documentation.
The UAE’s judicial authorities had briefed the South African authorities “at every step,” the official WAM news agency reported in Dubai. The agency added that South African authorities could resubmit the extradition request with new and additional documentation.
South Africa’s main opposition political party, the Democratic Alliance, described the “bungled” extradition bid as “a national embarrassment.” Reports suggest that Atul and Rajesh Gupta were spotted in Switzerland in late March.
The Guptas have denied the allegations, as has Thales, the French defence giant embroiled in an arms scandal with Zuma. Zuma was given a 15-month jail term for contempt of court last year after refusing to testify before an investigative panel.
