Fresh bite at Guptas for NPA

Just days after the Guptas won a major legal battle against the state in the Estina Dairy Project case‚ the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) has confirmed that it has won a court order to go after R169million linked to the alleged scam – in Dubai.

The NPA’s Luvuyo Mfaku told TimesLIVE that curator Eugene Nel was appointed to trace this money‚ which was allegedly paid by Estina to a company called Gateway Limited. The state successfully applied for this money to be frozen on the basis that it is the “proceeds of unlawful activities”.

“The curator has confirmed that Gateway is in fact a shelf company‚” Mfaku said. “So the next step is for him to be appropriately recognised by the Dubai authorities so that he can trace where the money was moved and potentially seize assets in a bid to recover it.”

The family has denied any links to the company.

The Estina Dairy Project was set up to benefit poor black farmers in Free State but the money was allegedly siphoned out of the project.

Suspicions about the Guptas’ involvement in the Estina scam were fuelled by the so-called Gupta Leaks e-mails‚ which reportedly included spreadsheets showing a total of $8.35-million (about R84-million) landing in Gateway’s account in 2013.

Despite this‚ the state has been hit with two devastating losses in its fight to freeze Gupta assets it claims are the proceeds of the Estina crimes‚ or at least the benefits of those crimes.

The most recent loss was when Bloemfontein High Court Judge Phillip Loubser found that there was currently not a reasonable basis to believe that Gupta family members‚ associates and businesses would be convicted on money-laundering and fraud linked to the project. – TimesLIVE