Guptas’ extradition to South Africa may take ‘several months’
SUBMISSION OF REQUEST TO UAE FIRST IMPORTANT MILESTONE, SAYS LAWYER
SOUTH AFRICA’S top prosecutor has warned that the process to extradite two of the three Indiaborn Gupta brothers from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for their alleged role in a high-profile corruption scandal could take several months.
Shamila Batohi, the head of the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), joined Ronald Lamola, the justice and correctional services minister, on Monday (25) at a media briefing. They confirmed that the agency had submitted a formal extradition application to the Central Authority in the UAE for the wealthy Gupta brothers, Atul and Rajesh, who had been arrested in Dubai last month.
The two siblings, along with their elder brother Ajay, have been in self-exile in Dubai after they were accused of siphoning off billions of rand from South Africa’s state enterprises, allegedly by exploiting their proximity to former president Jacob Zuma.
The Gupta brothers are accused in South Africa of using their relationship with Zuma to profit financially and influence senior appointments, charges that they have denied.
Batohi said, “The submission of the formal application request for the arrest and extradition of the Gupta brothers is an important milestone in the NPA’s commitment to hold accountable perpetrators of state capture and to uphold the rule of law.”
However, she cautioned that the extradition process could take several months.
Batohi was also cautious about the Guptas being convicted, although she said the NPA would attempt to ensure that justice would be served.
Lamola confirmed that the extradition application had been submitted within the required 60 days, after the brothers’ arrest in June.
Batohi said if the request was successful, the extradition process could take “several months”. The case would first go before the Emirati court of appeal to ensure that the requesting state had met all the requirements and then, about 30 days later, be heard by the supreme court.
“Thereafter, the attorney general will submit the matter to the minister of justice in the UAE for the final decision,” she said. “We understand that it could take a couple of months to finalise.”
She said the Gupta brothers had applied for bail, but were denied, and remain in custody. Batohi suggested the case could be brought to court soon.
The Gupta family, originally hailing from Saharanpur in Uttar Pradesh, entered South Africa by setting up a shoe store in the early 1990s. Their business interests soon expanded to include IT, media and mining companies, most of which
have now been sold off or closed.