South Africa has formally requested the United Arab Emirates to extradite brothers Rajesh and Atul Gupta, who were accused of corruption during the tenure of former President Jacob Zuma, the justice minister said on Monday, July 25, 2022.
Ronald Lamola told reporters, “We will ensure that the extradition request is properly submitted to the UAE Central Authority today.”
After Dubai police arrested the Guptas in June, South Africa had 60 days to submit the request.
The brothers are accused of having connections with President Zuma from 2009 to 2018 to win contracts, influence cabinet appointments and embezzle government funds. Zuma and the Guptas have denied all wrongdoing.
South Africa’s national director of public prosecutions, Shamila Bathohi, said the extradition process could take several months, without giving a more precise timeframe.
The National Prosecuting Authority said that the filing of the request so far is an important milestone in the effort to bring the perpetrators of corruption to justice.
“What I want to assure the people of South Africa is that as the NPA we will not bring cases until we are satisfied that we ourselves meet reasonable expectations of a successful prosecution,” she said.
Dubai police arrested the Guptas in response to an Interpol “red notice” issued by law enforcement officials around the world seeking the provisional arrest of people who might be trafficked.
The United Arab Emirates has ratified an extradition deal with South Africa in April 2021, which the South African government had hoped would see the Guptas return to trial.
