Batohi ropes in Ramaphosa to fast-track Gupta extradition
President Cyril Ramaphosa has been asked to assist in fast-tracking the extradition of the Gupta brothers from the United Arab Emirates.
This was confirmed by the National Director of Public Prosecutions, Shamila Batohi, during a media engagement in Pretoria on Wednesday.
South African authorities want Rajesh and Atul Gupta extradited from the United Arab Emirates to stand trial on charges of money laundering and fraud.
The two Gupta brothers, arrested in Dubai in 2022, are accused of involvement in state capture during former president Jacob Zuma’s term in office.
The bid to extradite the Gupta brothers to South Africa was foiled last year when a UAE court denied the request based on a technicality.
However, Minister of Justice Ronald Lamola denied that the National Prosecuting Authority had botched the paperwork related to the extradition request.
The two countries then agreed to set up a joint task team of prosecutors to assist with the extradition process.
But Batohi said the UAE authorities are still not cooperating.
"We have not had a satisfactory response from the UAE, we have been trying to set up a meeting with the UAE Prosecutor General Hamad Saif Al Shamsi for them to understand this.
“We have not been able to set up that meeting for months. We have now decided, as the National Prosecuting Authority executive, that we needed the president [Cyril Ramaphosa] of this country to intervene.
“We have realised that unless there isn't that strong political push in the UAE, we are going to struggle with this case," explained Batohi.
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