Call to revoke Gupta citizenship
Parliament’s portfolio committee on home affairs has recommended that the South African citizenship granted to Ajay Gupta’s family be revoked as it was granted fraudulently and in a corrupt manner.
This is, according to a report by the committee, after an investigation into the application for early naturalisation by the Guptas and the “preferential treatment” the family enjoyed with home affairs during the tenure of Malusi Gigaba as minister. The committee also recommended that Ashu Chawla’s SA citizenship should be revoked, as he was the “central person” in the manipulation of the application process for the early naturalisation of the Guptas, as well as the facilitation of illegal visas for Gupta-linked Indian nationals.
Chawla is a naturalised South African of Indian descent who allegedly acted as a fixer for the Guptas in the naturalisation debacle.
Moreover, the committee said that Chawla and members of the Gupta family should be criminally charged for submitting false information to back up their applications for early naturalisation.
The committee, based on evidence gathered during its investigation, found that it was reasonable to conclude that the Gupta family and Chawla “had a degree of influence over affairs of the department of home affairs and Gigaba”.
The committee found that the initial rejection of the application for early naturalisation by Ajay Gupta’s family was correct.
The committee was scathing of a subsequent application by the Gupta family – this time under “exceptional circumstances”, which was approved by Gigaba – terming this “incorrect”.
Gigaba approved the early naturalisation of Ajay Gupta’s family, including that of Shivani Gupta and Angoori Gupta, despite Ajay refusing to let go of his Indian citizenship – because the Asian country does not allow dual citizenship, which effectively disqualified him from being granted SA citizenship.
“The procedures for the verification of supporting documentation used in the applications for citizenship and particularly early naturalisation were not sufficiently rigorous and/or enforced, and thus allowed for fraud and corruption,” ruled the committee.
“The procedures of the Citizenship Act were not followed on time ... Given the irregularities identified in granting of such naturalisation, this is of additional concern.”