SA, UAE set up joint team to work on Gupta extradition
South Africa and the United Arab Emirates have agreed to set up a joint task team of prosecutors to assist in the extradition of the Gupta brothers.
The decision was taken at a meeting between Justice Minister Ronald Lamola and his UAE counterpart Abdullah Sultan bin Awad Al Nuaimi on Monday.
South African authorities want Rajesh and Atul Gupta extradited from the United Arab Emirates to stand trial on charges of money laundering and fraud.
A war of words broke out between the two countries after South Africa’s request was denied by the UAE.
While the UAE claimed that South African authorities failed to follow the correct procedures, local authorities insisted all its bases were covered when it made the application.
The two Gupta brothers, who were arrested in Dubai in 2022, are accused of involvement in state capture during former president Zuma’s term in office.
The Justice Department’s Crispin Phiri says the purpose of the meeting was to enhance partnership in mutual legal assistance and extradition matters.
“Following the productive discussions, an agreement was reached to quickly address the issues by setting up a joint task team of prosecutors from both countries. A technical joint task team will meet on 15 June to go through the extradition requests for extradition afresh and the additional mutual legal assistance from South Africa.
“Furthermore, the nations' respective financial intelligence centres review all the information required. Establishing this task team will allow them to collaborate closely to ensure the fair administration of justice. This is a positive step towards strengthening the partnership and achieving shared goals”.
Phiri says the UAE has taken necessary steps to meet its international obligations and assist and support South Africa in the extradition process.
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