Cape Town — The United Arab Emirates (UAE) will not be extraditing the Gupta brothers to South Africa, Justice Minister Ronald Lamola confirmed today.
The brothers were to face charges of money laundering and fraud and were implicated in the State Capture report, which revealed deep levels of corruption in the government of then-president Jacob Zuma and in various other state entities, including Eskom.
The brothers – Atul and Rajesh – are close friends of former president Jacob Zuma and have been accused of among others, the irregular awarding of tenders, influencing various political appointments and of the capture of the South African Revenue Service.
The Gupta brothers left South Africa after Zuma was ousted in 2018 and have been living in Dubai, prior to their arrest there.
Interpol issued a red notice for their arrest in July 2021. The organisation said the Gupta brothers were being sought for fraud and money laundering in connection with a U.S.$1.6 million contract paid to a Gupta-linked company. The red notice has also expired.
IOL reports that the brothers were recently spotted in Switzerland.