SA request to extradite Gupta brothers denied
The Department of Justice has confirmed that South Africa's application to extradite the Gupta brothers from the United Arab Emirates has been unsuccessful.
Addressing the media on Friday, Minister Ronald Lamola provided a timeline on activities undertaken by government related to the extradition request.
"In February 2023, the Director-General of the Department of Justice, Mashabane in his capacity as Central Authority addressed a letter to His Excellency Addullah bin Sultan bin Awad Al Nuaimi requesting a written update on the extradition proceedings of Rajesh and Atul Gupta," said Lamola.
"In the evening of the 6 April, we were provided with a note verbale from United Arab Emirates, in which we learnt with shock and dismay that the extradition hearing had been concluded in the Dubai Court on the 13 February 2023 and our extradition request was unsuccessful.
"The court found that on the charge of money laundering the crime in question is alleged to have been committed in the United Arab Emirates and South Africa, in terms of the federal laws of the United Arab Emirates extradition can be denied because the United Arab Emirates has the jurisdiction to prosecute the crime.
"On the charge of fraud and corruption, the court found that the arrest warrant relating to this charge was cancelled.
"The reasons provided for denying our request are inexplicable and fly in the face of the assurances given by Emirati authorities that our requests meet their requirements.
"This level of non-cooperation is highly unprecedented in the arena of Extradition requests and mutual legal assistance requests.
"The United Arab Emirates conduct does not accord with the ethos of the United Nations Convention Against Corruption amid what the rule of law should achieve we believe that every state should err on the side of accountability and transparency instead of opaqueness and obfuscation.
"We still intend to engage our counterparts to ensure that the decision of the court is promptly appealed, in the recent past we are aware that Denmark has appealed and succeed in obtaining a extradition request."
READ ALSO:
