Ajay roams Dubai with SA extradition pending

THE HAWKS will not be pursuing applications for the extradition of the Gupta family and other high-profile figures pending the finalisation of several state capture investigations in which they are implicated.

Yesterday, Hawks spokesperson Hangwani Mulaudzi said Ajay Gupta remained a fugitive despite being seen in Dubai earlier this week.

Gupta was filmed by South African businessman Justin van Pletzen outside an office complex in Dubai, where he was accompanied by a bodyguard and seen driving a black Mercedes Maybach.

In the video, Van Pletzen tells Gupta that South Africa is looking for him, and asks when he intends returning to the country.

Gupta responds: “The day they give a reply, I’ll go there.”

Mulaudzi said the elite unit could not apply for the extradition of Ajay Gupta to be tried for only one criminal case.

“If it is one case, it means in all other cases we are investigating, we can’t take him to court,” he said.

“What we want is to finalise all other investigations so that we have highlights of the cases we want him for. That is when the extradition process will kick in,” Mulaudzi said. “It is good we finalise the cases. Then we have grounds to go and ask for his extradition.”

He also said there was no timeframe set for the completion of the state capture investigations implicating the Guptas and their associates.

“We don’t have timeframes. All the investigations are ongoing. We would want them to be finalised,” Mulaudzi said. “There are teams working independently in terms of investigations brought to our attention. We don’t want to put our members under pressure because we want to make sure that everything is done is correctly.”

Mulaudzi said he understood the frustration among the public at the delay in nabbing Gupta .

“As much we understand the frustration we are also frustrated but the frustration is also for a good cause.”

He said Gupta’s arrogance on the video was disturbing.

“The arrogance disturbs us, but we are not to be deterred from what we are supposed to do.”

Referring to Ajay’s response that he was still waiting for an answer from South African authorities, Mulaudzi said: “What answer is he waiting for? We told him we have a warrant of arrest for him.”

Acting head of the Hawks Yolisa Matakata previously told parliamentarians that investigations into state capture were complex. She said they were working with Interpol to bring Ajay Gupta to stand trial in South Africa.