The Dubai Police has arrested two Indian-origin fugitive businessmen brothers, Rajesh and Atul Gupta, who were among South Africa’s most-wanted suspects in a corruption case that led to the fall of South African President Jacob Zuma from office.
The Interpol had issued Red Corner Notices against Rajesh, 51, and Atul, 53, who fled South Africa with their families following probes into their alleged plundering of billions of Rands from State-owned enterprises during the presidency of Zuma.
Rajesh and Atul have been arrested in connection with money laundering and criminal charges in South Africa, the Dubai Police said in a statement.
“Dubai Police made the arrest after receiving a red corner notice for the Gupta brothers by Interpol. The force has also coordinated with the authorities in South Africa regarding the extradition file to complete the legal procedures,” it said in its statement.
However, the status of the third Gupta brother, Ajay Gupta, is not known immediately. In South Africa, the investigation against the Gupta brothers into the massive plundering of state institutions during former Zuma’s era has concluded. Zuma, 80, was South African President from 2009 to 2018 when he was dislodged from the office.
The Gupta brothers are accused in South Africa of using their relationship with Zuma to derive financial profit and influence senior appointments.
In 2018, the Gupta family went into self-exile in Dubai after looting billions of Rands from parastatal institutions in South Africa. Parastatal organisations or industry in some African countries have some political authority and serve the State indirectly.
On Monday, the South African Department of Justice and Correctional Services in a statement said, “The Ministry of Justice and Correctional Services confirms that it has received information from law enforcement authorities in the UAE that fugitives of justice, namely Rajesh and Atul Gupta have been arrested.”
“Discussions between various law enforcement agencies in the UAE and South Africa on the way forward are ongoing. The South African government will continue to cooperate with the UAE,” it added.
Gupta brothers, facing Interpol Red Corner Notices, were earlier declared persona non grata (an unacceptable or unwelcome person) by the US and the UK.
Red Notices are issued against criminals/fugitives wanted for the prosecution to alert law agencies globally to arrest such persons pending extradition.
The Gupta family fled South Africa in 2018 when the noose of the law enforcement agencies tightened on them amid massive public protests precipitating Zuma’s removal from office by the African National Congress (ANC). Earlier, South Africa had also appealed to the UN to get the Guptas back to South Africa when negotiations with the UAE did not yield results because there was no extradition treaty between the two countries.
The extradition treaty between South Africa and UAE was ratified in June 2021. Following this, South Africa immediately began the process of requesting the extradition of the Guptas.
Imposing sanctions on the three Gupta brothers in 2019, the US Treasury Department accused them of being “members of a significant corruption network”.
The Guptas told the Commission of Inquiry into State Capture in 2018 that they were not prepared to return to South Africa to testify after a number of witnesses implicated them along with Zuma in corrupt cases.
In their affidavit to the Commission, the Guptas dubbed the South African authorities ‘recklessly incompetent’.
A number of witnesses testified before the Commission the role of the Guptas in looting huge amounts and also influencing the appointment of Cabinet ministers during Zuma’s tenure as South African president.
Originally hailing from Saharanpur district in Uttar Pradesh, the Gupta family entered South Africa by setting up a shoe store in the early 1990s.
They soon expanded to include IT, media and mining companies, most of which have now been sold off or closed operations.