APA-Pretoria (South Africa) Efforts to bring the fugitive Gupta brothers back to South Africa would have to wait a little longer following the dismissal of Pretoria’s extradition request to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on a technicality, Justice and Correctional Services Minister Ronald Lamola told reporters on Friday.
Briefing the media in Pretoria, Lamola said the decision was made in February but it was only communicated to South Africa on Thursday.
“The reasons provided for denying our request are inexplicable and fly in the face of the assurances given by Emirati authorities that our requests meet their requirements,” Mr Lamola said.
He said, in throwing away the extradition request, the UAE court had argued that as the Guptas were facing money laundering charges in both the Middle East country and South Africa then the UAE had jurisdiction to prosecute them.
Lamola said the government would appeal the decision in order to bring back Rajesh and Atul Gupta who are still using South African passports to face the law here.
Atul and Rajesh Gupta are accused in South Africa of profiting from their close links with former President Jacob Zuma and exerting unfair influence.
The Guptas made headlines in South Africa after it emerged that they were the masterminds of an elaborate scheme under which they allegedly took charge of the levers of power and made most economic decisions and decided on the appointment of ministers during Zuma’s tenure from 2008 to 2018.
They allegedly awarded lucrative contracts to companies owned by themselves or their associates and siphoned money out of the country.
Reports by South African and international media outlets suggested that the Guptas allegedly stole more than US$7 billion dollars from South Africa through their businesses.
They deny the charges.
The Indian-born Guptas fled South Africa after a commission set up to investigate high-level corruption commenced its probe.
They were arrested in the UAE last June and extradition talks with South Africa began.
NM/jn/APA