South Africa applies for extradition of Gupta brothers from UAE

South Africa submitted a request for extradition from the UAE of the Gupta brothers, who are wanted for allegedly masterminding the looting of billions of dollars from state entities.

“A request was received from the national director of Public Prosecutions for the extradition of the Gupta brothers from the United Arab Emirates to the Republic of South Africa to stand trial on charges of fraud, money laundering,” Justice minister Ronald Lamola said in a statement on Monday.

“We can confirm that the extradition request has been duly submitted to the UAE central authority.”

Rajesh and Atul Gupta were arrested in the UAE in June. They’re wanted on charges of money laundering and fraud, and were detained after the International Criminal Police Organization, or Interpol, placed them on its most-wanted list in February.

Read: Gupta Brothers accused of defrauding South Africa arrested in Dubai

A judicial inquiry into state graft spanning more than three years detailed close links between the brothers and former President Jacob Zuma. Witnesses allege they worked together to siphon money from South Africa’s state transport, power and arms companies, and jointly decided who was appointed to the cabinet. Zuma and the Guptas have denied wrongdoing.

In June, the Dubai police made the arrests after receiving a red notice for the Gupta brothers from Interpol. The force is coordinating with the authorities in South Africa to complete the legal procedures related to their extradition file.

Referring to the arrest, the Dubai Police had then said: “It reflects the continuous efforts of the UAE in combatting money laundering crimes. This is done in cooperation with competent authorities, including the Ministry of Justice, Dubai Public Prosecution, Executive Office to Combat Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing, and the Financial Intelligence Unit.”