SA gets go-ahead to extradite fugitives

SA and UAE sign treaties on crime

Law-enforcement authorities now have the green light to extradite Gupta family members to answer to their alleged crimes.

This comes after justice and correctional services minister Michael Masutha and his United Arab Emirates (UAE) counterpart Sultan Saeed Al Badi signed treaties “on extradition and mutual legal assistance in criminal matters” in the capital Abu Dhabi yesterday.

The Guptas, who left SA following allegations of fraud and corruption running into billions of rand, were residing in the UAE city of Dubai.

Spokesperson for the ministry of justice and correctional services, Mukoni Ratshitanga, yesterday said the two countries began talks on the treaties in February 2010 and they were not particularly aimed at the Gupta family.

“If the authorities in both countries believe that Mukoni has committed a crime in either one of the two countries, they can use the framework of this agreement to have him sent to either one of the capitals to answer for what they believe he needs to answer,” said Ratshitanga.

The treaties were signed two weeks after Rajesh and Ajay Gupta informed the commission of inquiry into state capture, headed by deputy chief justice Raymond Zondo, that they were not prepared to return to SA to testify as they did not trust the country’s law-enforcement authorities.

The Guptas made a joint application early this month to cross-examine former deputy finance minister Mcebisi Jonas‚ former ANC MP Vytjie Mentor and former government communication and information system boss Themba Maseko.

They said they would only be willing to testify before the commission via a video conference or at a neutral location outside the country.

Zondo, however, shot down their request, saying that the commission would not give the Guptas special treatment.

The Institute of Security Studies head of special projects, Ottilia Maunganidze, said the treaty would make investigations and the freezing of assets and other matters related to prosecution easier.

“If arrest warrants are issued for anyone [including the Guptas] in the UAE, the process to get them to SA will now be faster,” she said.