The possibility of the Gupta brothers being brought back to South Africa to face justice appears unlikely.
Despite an announcement made by the Ministry of Justice on Thursday, indicating that extradition applications are still being processed, there is little confidence that any progress has been made.
Rajesh and Atul Gupta, two of the three brothers accused of crimes such as money-laundering, were apprehended in the UAE. Authorities in the UAE informed South Africa’s Department of Justice and Correctional Services of the arrests last year. It is unclear why the third brother, Ajay, has not been taken into custody.
The Gupta brothers fled to Dubai following allegations of embezzling billions of rands in South Africa during Jacob Zuma’s presidency. The Zondo Commission, led by Chief Justice Raymond Zondo, identified them as the masterminds of state capture and responsible for significant looting, primarily from state-owned enterprises.
In a statement expressing worry, the Justice Department indicated that it had sent a Central Authority delegation to the UAE to ensure that all prerequisites for the extradition process were fulfilled. However, the department revealed that there has been no progress reported regarding the court hearings of the Gupta brothers.
“Minister Ronald Lamola is concerned that following a visit by the Central Authority to the United Arab Emirates to ensure that the application meets the requirements of the
“UAE authorities, there has not been update on the first court appearance of the fugitives to determine whether there will be a hearing on the application for extradition,” reads the statement.
The department confirmed that it has made several efforts to resolve this issue and is currently pursuing diplomatic channels to resolve it.
“To date, the Central Authority has made various enquiries, the latest request is an urgent meeting between the two central authorities and the Minister of Justice and Correctional Services and his counterpart in the United Arab Emirates.
“The Ministry is pursuing this matter via the diplomatic channels pursuant to the extradition treaty between the two countries,” it said.
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