Fugitive Gupta Brothers Arrested In Dubai Over Alleged Corruption Charges In South Africa

The Gupta brothers have been accused in South Africa of exploiting their relationship with former president Jacob Zuma to profit financially and influence senior appointments.

Rajesh Gupta ( Image Source :ANI )

After Interpol had issued Red Notices to the Gupta brothers, the South African government has confirmed on Monday that Rajesh Gupta and Atul Gupta have been arrested by the law enforcement authorities in the UAE. However, it is not clear why the third brother, Ajay, was not arrested, reported news agency PTI. The brothers had also been declared persona non gratia by the US and the UK.

Who are Gupta brothers?

The Gupta brothers have been accused in South Africa of exploiting their relationship with former president Jacob Zuma to profit financially and influence senior appointments. They charges have been vehemently denied by the brothers, as per the report.

In 2018, the Gupta family had moved into self-exile in Dubai after embezzling billions of rands from parastatal institutions in South Africa, authorities 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,” the South African Department of Justice and Correctional Services said in a statement on Monday.

 “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 co-operate with the UAE,” it added. Typically, Red Notices are issued for fugitives wanted for prosecution and it works as an alert for law agencies globally to arrest such persons pending extradition.

What are the charges?

The family managed to fee South Africa when the investigation closing in on them amid huge public protests that finally triggered the ANC removing Zuma and appointment of Cyril Ramaphosa as the Acting President.

Earlier, South Africa had turn to the UN to get the Guptas back to South Africa after negotiations with the UAE failed in absence of any extradition treaty between the two countries. The treaty was ratified in June 2021, when South Africa immediately began the process of requesting extradition of the Guptas.

According to the investigation by the Wayne Duvenhage, CEO of the Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse, Guptas brothers looted almost 15 billion rands before they fled the country.

The Gupta family originally belong from Saharanpur in India. They entered South Africa by setting up a shoe store in the early 1990s, and soon expanded to include IT, media and mining companies. However, most of the companies now have been sold off or closed.

In fact, the Bank of Baroda (BoB) also got embroiled in the scandal after it came to the fore that they had assisted the Guptas by opening accounts for them when all South African banks stopped dealings with the family. Later, the bank had shut down its South African operations, citing a global cutback of operations.

There are a number of witnesses who testified the role of the Guptas in looting huge amounts besides influencing the appointment of Cabinet ministers during the nine-year tenure of Zuma as the South African president.

What’s the stance of Gupta brothers?

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 and Zuma in corrupt cases. The brothers called the South African authorities ‘recklessly incompetent’ in their affidavit to the commission.