Criminal charges laid against Guptas by DA

THE DA yesterday said it had laid criminal charges against the Guptas for allegedly using public funds to pay for a family wedding at Sun City four years ago.

DA MP David Maynier said: “This morning I laid criminal charges against Mosebenzi Zwane, Atul Gupta, Ajay Gupta, Rajesh Gupta, Ronica Ragavan and Kamal Vasram with the South African Police Service.”

He said the charges included racketeering, money laundering, assisting another to benefit from the proceeds of unlawful activities, and acquiring, possessing or using the proceeds of unlawful activities in terms of the Prevention of Organised Crime Act (No 121 of 1998); and submitting false or untrue tax returns in terms of the Tax Administration Act (No 28 of 2011).

“This follows revelations that public funds, meant to assist the poor, were allegedly washed through a complex web of front companies, and used to pay for Vega Gupta and Aakash Jahajgarhia’s wedding at Sun City in 2013,” said Maynier.

“I have also written to the South African Revenue Service requesting an investigation into tax evasion related to allegations that wedding expenses were irregularly deducted as business expenses by Linkway Trading (Pty) Ltd, which is a South African-based company controlled by the Guptas, to evade paying tax on an amount of about R30 million in 2014.

“The fact that public funds, meant to assist the poor, were allegedly used to pay for President Jacob Zuma’s number one clients’, the Guptas’, family wedding is grotesque and must be investigated without fear or favour,” Maynier said.