Emirati and South African authorities agreed on the extradition of Rajesh and Atul Gupta following their arrest in the UAE, the Dubai police and South Africa’s state prosecutor said on Tuesday. The South African authorities said they had coordinated with UAE to complete the legal procedures.
In an interview with South African news website SABC, Departmental Spokesperson Chrispin Phiri said that coordination to receive the siblings are to be coordinated with the authorities in the UAE confirming the arrests.
“They are in custody and so then from here what follows is more cooperation and then we would now start to begin the extradition process,” said Phiri.
The arrests come four months after Interpol issued a red notice for them in connection with fraud and money laundering charges.
The brothers are accused of using connections with Zuma, who ruled from 2009 to 2018, to win contracts, misappropriate state assets, influence cabinet appointments and siphon off state funds. Zuma and the Guptas deny any wrongdoing
South Africa’s largest opposition party welcomed the arrests.
“We hope that this is indeed the beginning of arrests and prosecution of those who have – locally and abroad – looted our country for years and are directly responsible for the hardships that millions of South Africans face today,” the Democratic Alliance said in a statement
Thabo Mamiane has a shop with his wife in Johannesburg’s Parkview neighborhood. They are thrilled the two brothers were arrested.
“This is the beginning of justice, whatever Jacob Zuma and his cronies and all that, what they did in the past there, I mean this puts some kind of confidence in our government,”