ITP
Johannesburg/Dubai, June 7
Fugitive Indian businessmen Rajesh and Atul Gupta, who were among South Africa’s most wanted suspects in a corruption case that led to the ouster of President Jacob Zuma, have been arrested by Dubai police, according to an official statement published on Tuesday.
Interpol had issued red notices against Rajesh, 51, and Atul Gupta, 53, two of the three Gupta brothers of Indian origin, who fled South Africa with their families amid investigations into the alleged looting of billions of dollars. state-owned rand. companies during the Zuma presidency, 80.
In a statement, Dubai police said Rajesh and Atul were arrested in connection with money laundering and criminal charges in South Africa.
“Dubai Police made the arrest after receiving a red notice from Interpol for the Gupta brothers. The force has also coordinated with the South African authorities regarding the extradition file to complete legal procedures,” the statement said.
Interpol is currently headed by the United Arab Emirates.
It was not immediately known if the third brother, Ajay Gupta, 56, was arrested.
The arrests came as an investigation into the mass looting of state institutions during the era of former President Zuma concluded. Zuma was South Africa’s president from 2009 until 2018, when he was forced to resign.
The Gupta brothers are accused in South Africa of using their relationship with former President Zuma for financial gain and influencing senior appointments, charges they have vehemently denied.
In 2018, the Gupta family went into self-exile in Dubai after looting billions of rand from parastatals in South Africa, authorities in Johannesburg said.
“The Ministry of Justice and Correctional Services confirms that it has received information from the UAE law enforcement authorities that the fugitives from justice, namely Rajesh and Atul Gupta, have been arrested,” the Department of Justice and Correctional Services said. South African Corrections in a statement. Monday.
“Discussions between various law enforcement agencies in the United Arab Emirates and South Africa about the way forward are ongoing. The South African government will continue to cooperate with the United Arab Emirates,” he added.
Interpol had issued red notices to the Gupta brothers, who had also been declared persona non grata by the US and the UK.
Red Notices for Fugitives Wanted by the Prosecution are issued to alert law enforcement agencies worldwide to arrest such persons pending extradition.
The family fled South Africa in 2018 as the net closed on them when large public protests eventually led to the African National Congress (ANC) ousting Zuma and appointing Cyril Ramaphosa as interim president.
Earlier, South Africa had also appealed to the UN for the Guptas to return to South Africa when negotiations with the United Arab Emirates failed because there was no extradition treaty between the two countries.
The treaty was ratified in June 2021, when South Africa immediately began the extradition request process for the Guptas.
In 2019, the US Treasury Department imposed sanctions on the three Gupta brothers, accusing them of being “members of a major corruption network.”
The Guptas told the State Capture Commission of Inquiry in 2018 that they were not prepared to return to South Africa to testify after several witnesses implicated them and Zuma in corruption cases.
The brothers called the South African authorities “recklessly incompetent” in their affidavit to the commission.
Several witnesses testified to the role of the Guptas in the looting of large amounts, and they also influenced the appointment of cabinet ministers during the nine years that Zuma was President of South Africa.
Although the arrests were very well received, analysts cautioned that the public should not expect a quick resolution of the case against the Guptas, as this could take up to a few years while they exhaust all available avenues to fight their extradition.
Wayne Duvenhage, executive director of the Organization to Reverse Tax Abuse, said his investigations had revealed that the Guptas looted almost R15 billion before fleeing the country.
The Gupta family, originally from Saharanpur in Uttar Pradesh, entered South Africa by opening a shoe store in the early 1990s.
They soon expanded to include IT, media and mining companies, most of which have now been sold or closed.
